Why is there so much confusion about food production and demand?

A B Siddique :

According to the report titled ‘Monitoring Report-2019 of the Bangladesh Second Country Investment Plan’ of the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) of the Ministry of Food, the daily per capita consumption of grain in the country is 409 grams.

However, according to the World Health Organization, a nutrient-dense ideal diet should include 400 grams of whole grains per day for a person.

Rice has to be imported due to the consumption of excess rice. In the last financial year 2021-22, 4 crore 65 lakh 82 thousand tons of food grains were produced in the country, which was 3 crore 68 lakh 8 thousand tons a decade ago (2011-12 fiscal year).

Far from having a surplus of 3 million tons of rice until June 2022-23, the government is forced to import 4.5 million tons of rice in the G-to-G system (transaction between two governments) due to the crisis in January.

According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, per capita daily rice consumption in Bangladesh is 416 grams.

According to this, annual consumption of rice per person is 152 kg. The total annual demand of rice in the country is 2 crore 58 lakh 40 thousand tons.

The country has achieved self-sufficiency in the production of fish, the main source of protein.

Bangladesh Economic Survey 2021, quoting the report titled ‘The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020’ of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said that Bangladesh ranks third in fish production in inland open water bodies and fifth in fish production in cultivated water bodies.

Bangladesh ranks the 11th in the world in terms of marine fisheries.

In the financial year 2019-20, fish production stood at 45.03 lakh tonnes.

In the last financial year of the eighth five-year plan (2024-25), the target of fish production in the country has been set at 49 lakh 95 thousand tons.

In this context, it should be noted that Bangladesh ranks first among 11 countries producing hilsa in the world and fourth in tilapia production and third in Asia.

The country earned valuable foreign exchange through the export of fish and fish products.

The country has become self-sufficient in meat production and nearing self-sufficiency in egg production.

In the fiscal year 2018-19, the amount of meat production stood at 70 lakh 51 thousand tons, which, in 2014-15 financial year, was 50 lakh 86 thousand tons. But we are lagging behind in milk production. Against the demand of 1 crore 50 lakh tonnes, the amount of milk production in 2018-19 financial year stood at 90 lakh 92 thousand tonnes.

In the financial year 2018-19, against the demand of 17482.07 million pieces of eggs, its production stood at 17109.70 million pieces.

It is to be noted that specific steps have been taken in the Eighth Five Year Plan to meet the demand of animal meat through sustainable growth of productivity and value addition of milk, meat and eggs.

However, the country is lagging behind in the production of several food products. Among these, wheat has already been discussed. And the production of food products which is less than the demand includes pulses, edible oil, milk, sugar, fruits, onions, garlic, ginger and various spices.

From the information obtained, it is known that the annual demand of edible oil in the country is 20-21 lakh tons. On the contrary, the production of oilseeds in the country is 10-11 lakh tons. Four to five lakh tons of edible oil is available from here. As a result, there is a deficit of 14-15 lakh tonnes.

Pulses production is 8-9 lakh tonnes against the annual demand of 25-26 lakh tonnes in the country. Against the annual demand of 14-15 lakh tonnes of sugar in the country, the production is more or less 1 lakh tonnes.

The annual total demand of onion in the country is about 2.2 million tons if we add the use as a spice in food, seed production, onion production, processed and pharmaceutical industries.

On the contrary, according to the information of Agricultural Statistics Yearbook 2020, the production of onion in the country in 2020 was 19.54 lakh tonnes.

Against the annual demand of three to three and a half lakh tonnes of ginger in the country, the production amount is more or less two to two and a half lakh tonnes.

And against the demand of more than 600,000 tons of garlic per year, the production is more or less 500,000 tons.

Although self-sufficient in fish and meat production, milk and eggs have to be imported to meet the country’s needs. To meet the country’s demand, edible oil, pulses, sugar, onions and garlic have to be imported.

Therefore, instead of giving political slogans that the country has achieved self-sufficiency in food production, the policy makers of the ruling party should be aware of the actual situation in overall food production.

It is necessary to ensure the provision of accurate information on food production, so that policy makers and planners can decide on the right course of action.

In the discussion about food production, our staple food rice comes first. At the time of independence, rice production in the country was more or less 1 crore tonnes, which has increased to 3 crore 86 lakh 95 thousand tonnes in the fiscal year 2019-20 (Bangladesh Economic Survey-2021).

In other words, the country’s seven and a half million population increased by more than two times during the period of independence, but rice production increased almost four times.

However, the country has not yet achieved self-sufficiency in rice production. Almost every year we have to import some amount of rice to meet the demand.

However, the country is lagging behind in the production of several food products. Among these, wheat has already been discussed. And the food products whose production is less than the demand include pulses, edible oil, milk, sugar, fruits, onions, garlic, ginger and various spices. From the information obtained, it is known that the annual demand of edible oil in the country is 20-21 lakh tons.

On the contrary, the production of oilseeds in the country is 10-11 lakh tons. Four to five lakh tons of edible oil is available from here. As a result, there is a deficit of 14-15 lakh tonnes. Production is 8-9 lakh tonnes against the annual demand of 25-26 lakh tonnes of pulses in the country.

Against the annual demand of 14-15 lakh tonnes of sugar in the country, the production is more or less 1 lakh tonnes. The annual total demand of onion in the country is about 2.2 million tons if we add the use as a spice in food, seed production, onion production, processed and pharmaceutical industries.

On the contrary, according to the information of Agricultural Statistics Yearbook 2020, the production of onion in the country in 2020 was 19.54 lakh tonnes. Against the annual demand of three to three and a half lakh tonnes of ginger in the country, the production amount is more or less two to two and a half lakh tonnes.

And against the demand of more than 600,000 tons of garlic per year, the production is more or less 500,000 tons. The demand for these food products has to be met through imports.

(The writer is a journalist.)