Despite the countrywide general holiday and the transportation shutdown for more than one and a half months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the supply of food has remained uninterrupted as the government has taken various effective measures in this regard.
Amid the fear of probable famine across the world due to the ongoing deadly pandemic, Bangladesh will not face any food crisis or shortage during or after the pandemic is over, officials and experts said.
To ensure further food safety in the country, the government, under the close supervision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has taken proper initiatives to harvest Boro paddy in the Haor region, they added.
Agriculture Minister Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque said the country has witnessed bumper Boro production in the crucial period of coronavirus.
The country will not face any food shortage if the crops in the fields can be properly harvested. Besides, the country has sufficient reserve of food for the next 7 to 8 months, he further said.
Secretary of Agriculture Ministry Md Nasiruzzaman told Bangladesh Post, “Already 80 percent Boro paddy of the Haor districts have been harvested. We will complete the Boro harvesting in the Haor region within a week.”
All Boro paddy across the country will be harvested within a month, he added.
No food crisis will be in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic and after it is over, he further said.
Economist Dr Jahangir Alam said Boro production is satisfactory this year and added, “We will not face any shortage of rice if there is no natural disaster.”
“Import of wheat and corn is normal now as the production was better this year too. On the other hand, the demand for wheat and corn has decreased due to a fall-off in the poultry farming sector,” he added.
Boro paddy accounts for more than 50 percent of the country's total rice production while Aush less than 10 percent, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
In 2018-19, of 3.64 crore tons of rice produced in the country, Boro was 54 percent, Aman 38 percent and Aush only eight percent, according to BBS data.
This year, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) is expecting 2.4 crore tons of Boro paddy from 47.54 lakh hectares of land and 34 lakh tons of Aush from around 14 lakh hectares.
Besides, except wheat, the country is almost self-sufficient in most of the food products, including potatoes, vegetables, and fishes, so there will be no food crisis, according to DAE officials.
The agriculture secretary said the government will import 42 lakh tons of wheat to fulfill the country’s demand.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, 1.10 crore tons of potatoes were produced last year. This year, production will be increased. It is expected that the production of maize, mustard, groundnut, linseed, sesame, soybean and sunflower oil, and pulses, including lentils, mugs, mashkalai, saffron pulse, peas, and arahar will also increase this year, DAE experts hope.
The production of spices including onion, garlic, coriander, chilly, ginger, and turmeric will also increase this year, experts said.
Senior Secretary of the General Economic Division of the Planning Commission Dr Shamsul Alam said, “We are expecting a bumper production of paddy this year. The major Boro harvesting in the Haor region is almost complete. After the bumper Boro production, there will come the Aush production. So, there will be no food crisis in the country during and after the Coronavirus pandemic.”
On April 12, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unveiled a stimulus package of Tk 5,000 crore to support agricultural sectors such as horticulture, fisheries, poultry, dairy, and livestock.