FROM PAGE B1

A report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) stated that about 1.19 crore people in Bangladesh experienced high levels of acute food insecurity from May to September this year despite record cereal harvests in 2022 and 2023.

The increase in food insecurity comes despite the fact that cereal production in the country, including paddy, stood at a four-year average of 6.09 crore tonnes between 2018-2022. In 2023, the total paddy production is forecast at a record 5.9 crore tonnes.

“Production is not a problem for Bangladesh. The country’s weak link lies in agriculture marketing,” said M Asaduzzaman, former research director of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).

By the time the product reaches the consumers from the growers, its price increases manifold, he said.