Editorial
Food security concerns
Regional cooperation is a powerful instrument to meet them
Food Minister Abdur Razzaque underscored the need for harmonizing regional cooperation to enhance food production and ensure food security in South Asia. The food stock in the region is proposed to increase coinciding with the 4th Board Meeting of SAARC Food Bank. But food grain management and distribution are needed to be considered first, as predicament already exists due to the drawbacks in the operational manual and the level of contribution of the member countries to the food bank.
The lack of economic access to food is one of the main crises of South Asia because of low purchasing power of consumers in most of the member-countries vis-à-vis extremely high market prices. Global increases in food prices often result in high prices in the domestic market as most South Asian countries are net food importers. In addition, rising temperatures and variable precipitation due to climate change with the existing natural disasters are already affecting performance of South Asia in every sector. The crisis is especially acute in population growth threatening to outstrip increases in productivity. In this regard, maintaining suitable drawing rights to borrow food grains is crucial.
The advantages of the food bank would be initiation of low prices of the products and deferred payment system for the people in the emergency situations. Transportation cost would also be less, as the food reserve will be available in different places in border areas of the member nations. It is worthwhile to mention here that adequate investments with climate resilient technology in agricultural sector are inevitable to increase production of food in the member-states, especially, which lack productivity. It is also essential to operate a strong monitoring system so that the food products reach the victimized people at appropriate time.
Last but not the least the link between agricultural production and cold storage facilities has to be strengthened. As food security means not only food but safe and healthy food; reliance on chemical fertilizer has to be minimized as well as the use of formalin has to be stopped. Diversified food items have to be made available to the people at a price affordable by all. Syndicate business with food items should be dispatched to the museum if healthy food security is the ultimate goal. Furthermore, the food bank for the vulnerable people must be maintained with the cooperation of all members rather being dominated by the any particular state.
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