& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Food aid to dip to a record low

Ministry expects only 5 lakh MTs in 2000-01

By Reaz Ahmed
Food aid to Bangladesh dipped to a new low with the European Commission’s (EC) new food security strategy taking a final shape.
The food ministry protected a food aid volume of only five lakh metric tons (MTs) in the upcoming 2000-2001 fiscal, lowest in 20 years, said sources.
Bangladesh’s projected food aid volume for the current fiscal (1999-2000) was nine lakh 9'2.000 MTs and the volume was 12 lakh 33.000 in 1998-99. the sources added.
They said in spite of the success of the government in targeting food distribuUon and the demonstrated benefits of direct food distribution, food aid to Bangladesh has declined over time.
EC used to contribute almost one-fourth of the total food aid volume to Bangladesh annually. The EC decision to introduce the 2000-2002 food security cycle with lesser food and more cash has its toll on food aid flow to Bangladesh.
Out of 80 million euro made available for the three-year cycle. EC plans to channel an overwhelming amount of 61
million euro in cash while only 19 million euro In food.
Again, this food aid would come in a slowing sequence' -10 million euro in the first year, six million in second year and only three million in final year.
Paul Dorosh. representative of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPR1), said Bangladesh could have six lakh MTs of food instead of five lakh MTs in 2000-2001 provided EC does not switch over to cash aid.
"However. EC would definitely channel the same amount of aid but not in food; rather in cash." added Dorosh.
The government is taking time before embarking on a formal food security agreement with the European Commission against the backdrop of declining (ood aid flow.
" There has not been a formal agreement as yet although two months have gone by since a fresh three-year cycle of the EC’s food security programme began.
The food ministry still prefers the donors to channel aid in development projects in
terms of food instead of cash.
Official sources said Bangladesh Is well poised to take up the challenges of reduced food aid, as its granaries are full of paddy with successive bumper crops.
But If same level of domestic stock can not be maintained and il other donors also follow the EC suit. Bangladesh would not feel comfortable, they said, pointing to the fact that Bangladesh is still a food-deficit country.
A high-level EC delegation had series of meetings in late February but. sources said, it might take a bit of a time than anticipated to convince the government about new EC food security strategy.
Paul Webber, director general (Development) of EC head-3uarters in Brussels, said Tues-ay, "We’ve met your prime minister, finance minister, food minister and also the officials at the Economic Relations Division and assured that the level of aid would be the same, no matter it comes in terms of food or money".
Before leaving Dhaka. Webbex said that further consultation would be needed in March before “we (EC and Bangladesh are ready for signing the agree-
Md Shah Jahan, a food ministry joint secretary, said further reductions in food aid should be avoided because it might threaten successful programmes and the food security of the poor who participate in them
According to the World Food Programme (WFP) global food aid portfolio has been changed radically. Over 70 per cent of food aid are used lor meeting emergencies while the remaining 30 per cent goes for development purposes. Few years back, sources said, food aid ratio was the other way round.
Increasing numbers of food-assisted programmes have lo lx* borne by the country Itself Instead of dependence on food aid from outside. WFP representative to Bangladesh Dr Werner Kiene said recently.