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Tuesday | November 03, 2026 | Dhaka

WFP asked to support food security initiatives

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:03 AM, 03 November 2026  Updated: 11:19 PM, 02 November 2026

Food Minister Afroza Khanum has sought technical and financial support from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to assess the nutritional benefits of fortified rice and improve the management and quality of food grain stocks stored in government warehouses.

She made the request during a meeting with a WFP delegation led by its Bangladesh Country Director, Coco Ushiyama, at her office in the Secretariat.

The minister said ensuring food security and increasing people’s access to nutritious food were among the government’s top priorities.

She described WFP as a longstanding development partner and said the government wanted to strengthen cooperation with the organisation.

Afroza Khanum said maintaining the quality of rice stored in government warehouses for long periods remained a major challenge.

She sought WFP’s technical assistance in developing policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for better long-term grain storage and inventory management.

The minister also highlighted the government’s distribution of fortified rice through social safety net programmes, including the Food-Friendly Programme, which is currently operating in around 300 upazilas.

However, she said scientific research was needed to determine how effectively fortified rice helped address nutritional deficiencies.

The government has initiated an impact assessment study estimated to cost between US$400,000 and US$450,000.

The minister expressed hope that WFP would provide financial and technical support for the research.

She said reliable scientific evidence on the nutritional benefits of fortified rice would help the government decide whether to expand the programme and guide future policy decisions.

The government is also considering policies and legislation to expand the fortification of rice and other food products with essential nutrients, she added.

The minister stressed the need to strengthen strategic food grain reserves so they could better withstand natural disasters, including floods, droughts, heatwaves and earthquakes.

She also called for stronger coordination between food reserves and social safety net programmes to help people cope with economic shocks, including rising international fuel and fertiliser prices.