Lack of administrative efforts and the pandemic are responsible for an acute shortage of food reserve in public silos. At the beginning of ongoing fiscal, the government had aimed at distributing 3.14 million tons of food grains under various food-aid programs but till the last week, it barely attained 70 per cent. Even in the last fiscal the attainment was higher than this year. Usually, the poor, who live below poverty-line, and the vulnerable, hit by various natural calamities, benefit from food grains that the government distributes under safety net programmes. Despite the urgent need of food grains during the pandemic, the government’s inaction is largely responsible for the supply shortfall.
Foodgrains support under public food distribution system (PFDS) helps rural poor, landless, farm labourers, day labourers and the disabled people get low-priced food during lean periods. A report by the Food Ministry on Tuesday showed that government could finally deliver only 2.18 million tons of food grains until June 21. With only a week left to end this fiscal, government could attain only 69.55 per cent of its targeted PFDS food distribution this time. According to official sources, government’s food distribution volume under OMS, Fair Price Programme, and VGD is not less in the current fiscal compared to those in last financial year but, food distribution under the FFW scheme witnessed a significant fall. The food stock in government’s silos was little over half a million tons whereas, a minimum food safety threshold is one million tons. As a result, the government was much conservative in releasing food grains under different programmes.
Meanwhile, prices of medium to fine varieties of rice in Dhaka markets saw a five to eight per cent rise between May and June this year. This price rise continues at a time when the government has kept open import at reduced duty and a new Boro harvest has just been completed. The government should urgently procure food grains from the domestic market as well as foreign sources to build a sufficient stock to meet the coming year’s demand. Shortage of grains and failure to meet the needs of the poor during this Corona period is unacceptable.
