The Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said that a large amount of food is wasted annually in the world. In Bangladesh too, a substantial amount of food is also wasted at different stages starting from its production to transporting to the retailers.
He made the observation while speaking at the chief guest at a virtual seminar on 'Challenges and Solutions in Food Loss and Waste-FLW' in Bangladesh on Tuesday.
He said that such losses in food is having a negative impact on food security on the one hand and farmers' income and economic development on the other. “Due to the ongoing epidemic, food shortages have occurred in many countries of the world. That is why food cannot be wasted in any way,” said the minister.
He said that Bangladesh has achieved unimaginable success in agriculture and food production under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh has become self-sufficient in granular food production.
He said that the government is also working to prevent food losses and wastes. Such recommendations on manage g and reducing food losses and wastes has been given special emphasis in the Delta Plan, Country Investment Plan (CIP-2), and National Agricultural Policy.
At the same time, the government is attaching great importance to agricultural mechanization and agro-processing to reduce food losses and managing wastes. Along with these initiatives of the government, all concerned including producers, buyers and consumers should be aware of this.
The seminar was jointly organized by the Bangladesh Society for Horticultural Science (BSHS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Bangladesh on the occasion of the International Awareness Day on Food loss and Waste, recognizing the fundamental role that sustainable food production plays in promoting food security and nutrition.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) declared on December 29, 2019 as the International Awareness Day to raise awareness around the world about food losses and wastage. For the first time this year, International Awareness Day on Food loss and Waste is being celebrated. The theme is ‘Stop food loss and waste’, For people, For the world.’
FAO Dhaka Chief Technical Adviser Naoki Minamiguchi and Bangladesh Agricultural University Professor of Horticulture Dr. Muhammad Kamrul Hassan presented the keynote paper at the seminar.
The keynote paper, according to the FAO report-2019, says that one-third of the world's food production is wasted each year, which amount is around 1.3 billion tons. About 24% of food is wasted when converted it to calories. However, the actual amount of damage is much higher if we take into account the land, water, environment, energy, labor, capital, and wasted greenhouse gases for crop production.
Although there is no precise data on the amount of food losses and wasted in Bangladesh, some studies have shown that post-harvest wastage of vegetables and fruits is 30-40%, with an annual financial loss of about $490 million or taka 3442 crore per year. Food is lost and wasted at every level from sowing, tending, harvesting, processing, reaching the store and to reaching the buyer. Which has now become a matter of global concern.’
Mohammad Saleh Ahmed, President of Bangladesh Society for Horticultural Science presided over the webinar. The FAO's Bangladesh Representative, Robert D Simpson, Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension Md Abdul Mueed, Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Bakhtiyar, Professor of Bangladesh Agricultural University Mohammad Ashraful Islam, BSHS Secretary General Afzal Hossain Bhuiyan spoke on the occasion.
