FOOD SECURITY FOR POOR, PRICE CURB DEMANDED

On October 16, Right to Food Bangladesh jointly with Wave Foundation and Asia Foundation hosted the programme to mark the World Food Day at the National Museum in Dhakka. The event emphasized importance of a social safety net budget, enactment of food security law and curbing food prices through formation of a price commission.

Representative of the Right to Food Bangladesh, coordinator Kaniz Fatema appealed for the government to act towards ensuring food security for marginalised community. She referred prime minister’s statement on famine and urged the government to explore enacting of food safety law. Wave Foundation deputy executive director Anwar Hossain emphasized emergency of setting affordable food prices for economically disadvantaged people.

Right to Food Bangladesh launched a nine-day campaign to mark World Food Day with holding discussions, rallies, social networking and seminars. The rally presented set of effective measures and recommendations related to food safety and providing of a balanced diet for poor people. Additionally, recommendations suggested protecting of newly poor people by social safety net programmes, waiving customs duty for food products and conducting a market monitoring and developing of price commission.

The article makes a reference to the recent World Food Programme survey conducted on 1,200 people and published in October 2022, and stated that approximately 68 per cent of Bangladeshi people struggle to food hardship, while 22 per cent of  respondents were moderately food insecure, and 77 per cent marginally secure with 44 per cent of households who purchased food on credit, 19 per cent spent savings on food purchase, and 11 per cent bought food against cash borrowed.

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