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65m still grapple with food insecurity: WFP

Star Business Report
The country's 65 million (6.5 crore) people still struggle for the basic food requirements partly because of high price and lack of access to resources, a senior UN official said yesterday.
“It's an astounding number. But it isn’t just the number unfortunately. Behind the number there are mothers and fathers, uncles and cousins, sons and daughters. There are senior citizens and newborn babies," said John Aylieff, World Food Programme (WFP) representative in Bangladesh.
His remarks came as WFP Bangladesh handed over its 2008 Media Award to six reporters in print and electronic media for reporting on food security, hunger and nutrition issues at a function in Dhaka.
Kawser Rahman of Bangla daily the Janakantha won the first prize, while Md Ashraf Ali of another Bangla daily Nayadiganta and Khaza Main Uddin of New Age clinched the second prize jointly.
Mahmood Moni of Chittagongbased Bangla newspaper the daily Azadi received a special award in dai-
lies category' published outside Dhaka.
In electronic media category, Sharmeen Rinvy of Bangla Vision and Keramatullah Biplob of Channel 1 won the first and second prizes respectively.
Former adviser to the caretaker government Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud handed over the awards, while Editor of The Financial Express Moazzem Hossain and Citigroup Country Officer in Bangladesh Mamun Rashid were present among others.
WFP organised the programme at a time when food prices in international market arc on the decline, thanks to the global recession and US financial turmoil that helped calm down the prices of commodities, including food itqms.
Earlier World Bank warned that higher prices of food after cyclone Sidr and recurrent floods in 2007 might push over four million (forty lakh) people into poverty.
Officially 40 percent of Bangladesh's population cannot meet their daily calorie requirement.
“Hunger is the number one killer in the world today. In every six seconds a child dies of hunger,” said Aylieff, urging media to focus more on develop-
ment issues.
Wahiduddin Mahmud termed hunger one of the biggest problems in the world, having abundant wealth.
'A large number of people, mainly mothers and children, are deprived of required amount of food even in the abundance of wealth," he said.
He stressed mass awareness of nutrition need for children and pregnant mothers.
Referring to a recent criticism against the donors, particularly multilateral lenders WB and IMF, Mahmud said: “Excessive criticism of donors' activities is not good. We should also have the responsibility for recognising their good works."
He cited a WFP move of packaging vitamin-rich flour for distributing among Bangladesh's poor, and said it helped stop wheat theft.
Mamun Rashid said food insecurity could be a trigger for aggression.
“The effects of food crisis will reduce incentives for reforms, undermine business environment, increase political risk and induce policy changes towards export restrictions and subsidies,” he said.