Wares Ali Khan :
The overall flow of income of the masses has shrunk. This has wreaked a substantial impact on affording healthy food and adequate nutrition in the county. Therefore, we still lag in confronting malnutrition. Furthermore, the C-19 pandemic has brought forth additional pressure on the poor and marginal people. There is a constant fear among the people engaged in informal job sectors that their living standards may deteriorate further as the flow of income has already narrowed. Simultaneously, the price hike of daily commodities added extra salt to the deep cut.
According to a global report published by the UN, in the country, the common folks are to spend BDT 276 on a healthy meal every day. Reportedly, about 73 per cent of Bangladeshi people cannot afford healthy meals daily. Another report revealed by the World Food Program (WFP) showcases that almost 21 million people cannot afford a nutritious diet in the country at present and nearly half of the population cannot manage a balanced diet on daily basis.
In this regard, a survey conducted triggering nutritional state discloses that in Bangladesh one in every six persons suffers from malnutrition. Here, 35 per cent of children under 5 years of age have stunted growth while 33 per cent are underweight. It is also a matter of grave concern that one in every three women, ages ranging from 10 to 49, does not have the required amount of nutritious diet. However, that rate has begun to increase once again.
During the corona pandemic, the nutritional state of women and children is deteriorating. Adolescents and children are at high risk of slow growth. Hence, to combat nutrition deficiency – especially for adolescents, children, and women – a realistic nutrition plan and comprehensive programs should adopt focusing privilege preference. The government should undertake a resilient venture to tackle this nutritional adversity. Undernourished folks possess lower productivity, and relatively low physical stamina and caliber. Therefore, to break away from the malnutrition cycle and for the promotion of the state of food and nutrition more investment and prudent initiatives are must. Access to nutritious food is the right of every human being. To invest in healthy food and sustainable agro-food farming means investing for future generations.
The middle-class and lower-middle-class people have already reduced expenses on food because of minimizing their daily income and the price soaring of kitchen stuff. Now, they are taking less amount of animal protein. So, the accessibility of nutritious food for the people and their purchasing capacity should be augmented. The issue of food and nutrition security has to consider with utmost importance in all development programs from now on. Families living in a financial crunch and a lack of nutrition should be brought under the food and nutrition security providing them with a square meal and a healthy diet.
For a relatively sustainable solution, income increment has to ensure both in formal and informal sectors. The inflow of earnings of the low-income groups has to expedite during this crisis so that they can meet their needs for food and nutrition. The concerned quarters should concentrate on promoting food and nutrition for the community as there is no alternative to healthy human resources for tangible and gross development.
The country’s agriculture has relatively been improved. But many farmers are showing more interest in producing other agricultural products than producing staple food. Apart from this, every year about 70 thousand hectares of arable land is going out of agriculture. On the other hand, food imports have also been affected drastically due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war. All these have a combined effect on food security and nutrition.
Now, to increase agro-crops and continue the ‘production-supply-consumption chain’ smoothly is crucial. This is to note that getting reasonable prices of the grown food products for the peasantry, rendering basic agro-training to educate farmers, and catering with agro-equipment are influential reasons to increase food production. An integrated focus should be placed on aggressive agro-marketing. At the same time, providing monetary incentives and stimulus packages, assurance of a fair-price market, stopping the interference of middlemen along with timely disbursement of agro-loans will positively work on gross food production.
To mitigate the state of nutrition deficiency, an adequate supply of nutritious food at the doorsteps of the people must be ascertained. Again, only a sufficient stock of food at home does not necessarily mean everything is all right. Rather, proper allocation of food containing nutritional sufficiency and following a balanced dietary chart by the families concerned is a matter of paramount importance. Consequently, awareness building centering on the importance of a nutritional diet for all has to successfully be campaigned. In conclusion, intending to fulfill food and nutrition security we have to work together in a joint hand.
(Wares Ali Khan is a teacher
and freelance writer).
