Food Minister Afroza Khanum on Monday said ensuring food security for the people of Bangladesh and increasing availability of nutritious food are top priorities for the government.
To achieve this goal, she sought technical and financial support from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to assess nutritional efficacy of fortified rice, maintain quality of government food stocks and improve food storage management.
Afroza made the request during a bilateral meeting held at her office in Secretariat with a WFP delegation led by its Country Director for Bangladesh Coco Ushiyama.
During the meeting, the food minister emphasized that the government’s primary objective is to guarantee food security for every citizen and enhance the access to nutrient-rich food.
She noted that the WFP has long served as a key development partner of the country in this endeavor and the government now seeks to further expand this collaboration.
The food minister highlighted that maintaining the quality of rice stored in government warehouses over extended periods remains a significant challenge. To address this, she noted the need for WFP’s technical assistance in developing comprehensive policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to improve long-term grain storage and inventory management.
She further said that the government is distributing nutritious, fortified rice through various social safety net initiatives, including the “Food-Friendly Programme.” Currently, these programmes are operational in approximately 300 upazilas across the country.
However, she stressed the need for scientific research to evaluate how effectively this rice contributes to address nutritional deficiencies among the population.
The food minister said that an initiative has been launched to conduct an impact assessment study, which is estimated to require between $400,000 and $450,000. She expressed her expectation for WFP’s financial and technical support to carry out this research.
She said that obtaining scientific and reliable evidence regarding the efficacy of fortified rice would facilitate the expansion of the programme and assist in policy-level decision-making. Furthermore, the government is considering the formulation of necessary policies and legislation to expand the fortification of rice and other food products with essential nutrients, she added.
During the meeting, the minister emphasized the need to make strategic food grain reserves more effective and resilient to natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, heat-waves and earthquakes.
He also highlighted the importance of strengthening the coordination between food reserves and social safety net programs to mitigate economic shocks, such as the rising costs of fuel and fertilizers in the international market.
WFP Country Director for Bangladesh, Coco Ushiyama, affirmed that the organization would continue its support for food security and nutritional development in Bangladesh.
The five-year plan will prioritize strategic food reserve management, social safety nets, the enhancement of the nutritional value of food grains and school feeding programmes, she said.
Independent, scientific research is essential to verify the efficacy of fortified rice, she said, adding that in this regard, the WFP could provide potential financial and technical assistance, as well as facilitate the involvement of other development partners. She suggested developing a detailed concept note for this purpose and offered to share experiences from various countries including Pakistan.
The meeting also explored the possibility of expanding school feeding programmes using food produced by local farmers.
In this context, the importance of a coordinated approach among the ministries responsible for food, agriculture, education and social protection was underscored.
Both the sides discussed the development of a five-year cooperation plan and the initiation of a new partnership framework starting in 2028.
Food Secretary Abu Taher Mohammad Masud Rana, Director General of Food Md. Jasim Uddin Khan, WFP Bangladesh Senior Partnership Advisor Md. Mohsin Chowdhury, Head of Programme Jessie Wood, and other relevant officials attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, on the afternoon, Antonio Alessandro, the Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh, paid a courtesy call on the food minister at the Secretariat. During the meeting, discussions were held regarding bilateral relations between the two countries, food security and mutual cooperation in the storage of food grains.
Food secretary, director general of Food, chairman of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority and other relevant officials were present during the meeting.
