To ensure Food Security ,Bangladesh’s state grains buyer will tender this week to buy 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice to replenish food reserves, a food official said on Tuesday.

Bangladesh, the world’s fourth biggest rice producer, plans to import 300,000 tonnes of rice in the current fiscal year to the end of June.

“We are going to issue an international tender soon to buy 50,000 tonnes of rice to shore up our stocks,” said an official of the Directorate General of Food who declined to be quoted because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Market sources said it could be part of a government move to build food reserves after failing to procure enough rice locally. Rice prices have risen over the past few months despite good crops and healthy levels of stocks.

Bangladesh is buying 25,000 tonnes of white rice at $395 per tonne from the Singapore-based Indo-Sino Trade Pte Ltd in an international tender.

Indo-Sino also made the lowest offer at $388.92 a tonne in another Bangladesh tender to buy white rice that closed on Sunday. [ID:nSGE62707X]

In January, the government extended a ban on rice exports until June to curb price increases and ensure availability of the staple in the domestic market.

At that time, the government also started open market sales of rice in the capital and adjoining districts to hold down prices.

The south Asian country produces around 30 million tonnes of rice, normally enough to feed its 150 million people, but often requires imports to cope with shortages due to natural calamities such as floods and droughts.

Bangladesh had to import rice worth $800 million in 2008. (Reporting by Ruma Paul)

 The government of Japan has donated 27,465 tonnes of wheat to Bangladesh to help stiffen relief infrastructure in a nation vulnerable to natural disasters, the Japanese embassy said on Monday.

“The food assistance will be provided through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to assist 300,000 ultra-poor people of the country to reduce disaster risk through building community infrastructure,” it said.

The consignment was handed to the food and disaster management ministry.

“We hope this Japanese contribution will help to improve household- and community-based infrastructure, minimising the negative impact of natural hazards”, the statement said.

The government of Japan has been one of the key donors to WFP-supported programmes in Bangladesh, giving approximately $20 million since 2007.
Donors support a
number of targete  food-based programmes in Bangladesh that are widely
credited with providing poor people access to food and improving their food
security. However, inefficiency in the food distribution system may be hindering
the realization of the full benefits of these programmes. The International Food
Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) conducted a comprehensive study of the
efficiency of food distribution in food aid-supported programmes in Bangladesh.
The capacity and efficiency of the food distribution system was assessed from
entry ports to targeted beneficiaries. The study identified problems in the
whole food distribution system, determined the level of losses, leakages,

and other lapses at various

Related :

Population is a prime and significant element to form a state as well as an asset of a nation. But over population in comparison with land space is a big threat to the social development and principle obstacles in the way of advancement, development and enlightenment of a country. Population programs and activities are jointly a major part of development programs in every state of the world. Human beings are inseparable part of our society and society has a pragmatic and positive influence over its population. Therefore social influence as well as social partnership needs to be integrated to make a holistic approach with a view to creating spirit in sustainable population control programs and activities. Population explosion is a nation as well as a global concern and it was addressed nationally as a prime and first problem at post independence era in Bangladesh. Thereafter population control activities were rightly added to first five years planning’s since 1973-1978 to squeeze the population growth momentum by adapting plural measures both rural and urban areas. In the way of this succession, Family planning directorate was constituted in 1973 by the then government with a long standing missions and visions to combat the population explosion through pragmatic policy adaptation and co-ordination.

But lack of proper atention and efforts towards population control programs and activities nation wide by every government is truly unfortunate to us as well as to nation. Mean while, a ray of hope was seen in population program and policies, when an integrated and efficient commitee was formed at early of 1976 by the then government to compose a pro people and healthy population policy and finally it was drafted and approved by the then cabinet at the ending stage of 1976. In accordance with the policy frame work, population control program was rapidly advanced due to entire commitment and dedication of family planning workers to their services as well as to nation.

They have achieved some remarkable success knocking door to door from providing service delivery among the eligible couples.

Family planning contraceptive practice rate (CPR) was 8% in middle of 1970 and this practice rate was rapidly increased due to adaptation as well as to start implementation process 6 of population policy across the country.

Now this CPR (Contraceptive practice Rate) is around 57%. Equally, TFR (Total Fertility Rate) was 6.3 in the year of 1975 and was declined to 2.5 after 34 years of adapting population policy. Population growth rate was 3 (per thousand) in middle of 1970); now this growth rate has hopefully declined to 1.4 (per thousand).

These all are hopeful scenario in the history of population control by family planning directorate. But these successive outcomes have already failed to create harmonious development atmosphere within our society due to discontinuation population activities as per population policy.

In era of globalization, Bangladesh population has drawn positive-considerable atention of demographers, policy planners, social scientists and International aid agencies.

In global context, Bangladesh is now world’s eighth populas country with 149.4 million people (14 crores and 94 lac population) but occupying only only 3,000th part of the world’s land space.

Such a huge concentration of population in small land area can not but draw global atention only. About 1.8 (18 Lac people) million people are currently adding to its existing population yearly and such a trend will continue in next one decade and half.

Even if Bangladesh achieves 2 child family norm (that means TFR of 2.1 or NNR=1) by 2020. Bangladesh requires a visionary commitment to the nation in the field of population programs and activities to enrich family planning action plan and should turn its activities into social movement through active participation of different stake holders of our society.

China has achieved sustainable success on population disorders by adapting integrated and visionary population policy as well as introducing one child family norm with a state package benefit Now- a days China belongs one fifth population of the world. But their population growth momentum and population density are still quite less than Bangladesh population map. According to population analytical report of UNFPA, when China and India will have 700 and 310 crores of people respectively, their density of population will be equal to the present density of population in Bangladesh.

Keeping in view this demographic scenario, let us think how alarming condition we have in terms of population pressure.

Certainly, this hard core demographic scenario of our big population would create adverse impact on health, education, food security, habitation, sanitation, environment, poverty and unemployment The way of harmonious development of our society would be collapsed due to high redundant of population in our country.

Thus a sustainable as well as global out look population policy is rightly demand of time to the nation. Population policy was initially composed in 1976 but had no continuation with prolonged beter commitment

In the way of policy adaptation, another population policy was

Composed in 2004 in order to achieve Replacement level fertility and Neat Reproductive Rate (NRR) =1 by 2010. But the practice rate of this method among the couples is around 55.8% now. Keeping in view this above information, Replacement Level Fertility and NRR=1 has already been failed to achieve the above goal. So, a long standing, pro people with visionary population policy should be drafted along with demographers, social scientists and different stake holders of our society to include pragmatic measures within population policy frame work with a view to squeezing population map rapidly in Bangladesh.

I have some recommendations which might be considered or taken out by the government at the time of drafting and approving population policy. These are stated as follows—-

A good number of ministries are working with the government executive body to implement government’s planning’s and polices but no separate ministry is even now constituted to resolve this hyper population growth momentum which has already been identified prime and first problem in Bangladesh. Health and family welfare ministry is a major organic part of the government body and has been designed to monitor & implement for both health and Family planning programs and policies across the country. But unfortunate truth Family planning directorate is working without proper atention of the government in comparison with health wing. So Government should constitute a separate ministry on family planning programs, policies and activities in order to create dynamism in population control programs and activities. If this is possibly undone, at least a family planning division might be opened or restructured under a full flagged secretary. China has achieved a remarkable and meaningful success in population control with regard to reconstituting a separate entity like an individual ministry on planning’s and policies of population control and human development Indonesia has also constituted an individual entity like China to face the challenges of population growth momentum. They are positively advanced and achieved beter success.

National Institute of population Research and Training (NIPORT), a government body, was constituted with a view to researching on population programs, policies, training and planning’s as well as the way out for implementation. But this institute has now become dysfunctional and dead due to negative impact of unification or reunification of health-family sector once again by the government

So, effective and positive steps need to be taken to reconstitute NIPORT with national spirit and global facilities as a research and training wing of family planning division.

National population council (NPC) is the apex body of population programs policies and activities, headed by the prime minister, was designed to monitor and execute the GO-NGO activities on population. But we are unfortunate and deprived of geting proper atention and priorities from every chief executive of the state on population sector to resolve this national problem. The present government has passed more than one year in power but no national meeting or seminar was held by initiation of prime minister along with different and efficient stake holders of the society to enhance family planning action plan as well as population consizing activities. The sooner (National Population Council) it can be made fully functional and create enabling environment for other ministries to play their respective role as envisaged in the national population policy, the beterment for the nation. So, government needs to adapt plural measures in this regard with more atention and devotion.

Family Planning programs and activities should be kept on going with an individual philosophy and policy without making any unification of health-family planning sector by the government Integration or reintegration of family planning movements with the health sector must be an unwise decision which is certainly be declined the internal spirit of family planning movements in Bangladesh. 15 years have been lost in the way of counter political decisions in the field of family planning as well as population control and human development The whole nation has suffered immensely in this regard.

Population control is a prime national concern, an liberate arena and requires a holistic approach to combat population growth momentum from urban to rural in Bangladesh. The government is not individually feasible and viable to face the challenges of population magnitude and pressure on our land as well as our society. So, an intensive GO-NGO collaboration is highly required in order to make a stationary population in Bangladesh before our national goal. Every national-International NGOs in Bangladesh should have policy programs to open a separate wing on population-nutrition to face this national problem jointly otherwise this high population growth must bring social disorders in every singular branches of our society.

After inception of family planning department, Family Welfare Assistants (FWA) is providing basic and comprehensive service delivery among the eligible couples and adolescents from door to door, all over the country. They have pioneering roles and responsibilities to give away the messages among the 15 to 40 age groups of using local contraceptives and others measures to make two child family norm as well as to make a small size of

Population in our country. FWA (Family Welfare Assistant) was assigned officially to provide service delivery among 300-400 couples but with the passage of time and growth of population, the number of couple volume has become bigger and FWA workers are to provide service delivery among 1,800-2,000 couples now. This is quite a difficult task for a single FWA. So, a good number of FWA workers should immediately be appointed to provide home service delivery including contraceptives, medicine, injection as well as awareness on maternal and child health efficiently for beter outcomes.

These all are pragmatic outlines to combat population explosion. The government might consider these recommendations at the time of drafting population policy to make a stationary population as well as to turn the population into human resources.

The people of Bangladesh have started feeling the pinch for it’s over population. And various pressures have already been generated upon every branches of our society. Our society is facing plenty of social disorders with its 148 million people (around 15 crores people) right now. So, achieving population stabilization is early required for our existence. The timing of population stabilization depends on the time when replacement level fertility will be achieved. In our present population management context, if Bangladesh can achieve NRR=1 by 2016, population will be stabilize by 2070 at around 230 million people (23 crores people), followed by a stationary population in next 14-16 years (Stationary population means number of births will be equal to number of death and resultant growth rate is zero). The status of stationary population might be achieved around 2087 and thereafter the population will grow up to 250 million people ( 25 crores people). If we like to build up a poverty free, educated as well as knowledge based healthy society, government needs to take concerted efforts in population management strategies with more atention and devotion.

US showing concentration with Bangladesh betterment .The US yesterday unveiled a $210mn plan for helping Bangladesh ensure food security.
US Ambassador James F Moriarty unveiled the plan at a seminar on food security, organised by the ‘local government’ division of the Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Ministry and the USAID in Dhaka.
US President Barrack Obama last year committed $1bn annual fund to address global hunger and food security. USAID will launch the $210mn programme in Bangladesh from this fund.
Under this plan, USAID will channel the fund to ensure adequate food supply to the ultra-poor and vulnerable group of the society.
LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr Abdur Razzak also addressed the seminar.
Referring to different programmes for food security, Syed Ashraf said those programmes had already started enhancing food security.
He, however, suggested non-government organisations (NGOs) to contribute more to strengthen the social safety net and development initiatives of the present government.
Dr Razzak also emphasized the government social safety net programme, which had already increased food allocation for the poor.
The Food Minister, however, raised concern over the impact of climate change on food production and sought more funds from the development partners to address the issue.
James F Moriarty said his government would also increase its investment in agriculture and health sectors besides the fund for food security.
He lauded Bangladesh’s progress in improving the food security for the people, but cautioned about some external and internal causes, which could hinder the progress.

At Bangladesh economy the daily essential product is hiking day by day. People now even think to bye those product. Oil, powder milk, rice eveerythings price was highly rated. The urban poor are typically most affected as many rural households grow at least some of their food needs. Higher prices have pushed many more people into poverty, but the increase in the number of poor is only part of the emerging costs of the crisis. The more profound consequence is the impact of rising prices on households who were already poor. For those already struggling to meet their daily food and nutrient needs, the double shock of food and fuel price rises represents a threat to basic survival. The poorest households are reducing the quantity and/or quality of the food, schooling, and basic services that they consume, leading to irreparable damage to the health and education of millions of children. 2010 brings new challenges to the pursuit of food security in Bangladesh
The central bank of Bangladesh on Monday recommended adoption of appropriate and effective measures to curb higher food prices to avoid administrative interventions that may hit supply channels of the essentials.

Bangladesh Bank (BB), the country’s central bank, also suggested it may initiate a comprehensive investigative study of the emergence of speculative influences by oligopolies in the market

“Rise in food price inflation, being politically sensitive, is often blamed in Bangladesh on ’syndicates’ or oligopolistic influences, but without hard evidence or data,” the central bank said in its latest quarterly report, released on Monday. The report also said it is true that in recent years, the domestic markets of food crops and other edibles are getting increasingly more “organized” and “integrated,” with growing influence of larger players in smaller numbers.

“Speculators will also join these oligopolistic influences in creating bubbles in food prices as and when future markets of commodities are activated,” it added.

Any bank interventions would compound problems by obstructing and choking off supply channels, limiting the ability to provide the target population groups with temporary relief by way of cash subsidies or food supplies at affordable prices, according to the Bangladesh Bank Quarterly (BBQ) for October-December 2009.

The rising trends in prices of major commodities such as rice, petroleum and sugar fueled partly by speculation on international futures markets, are likely to retain the upward pressure in domestic consumer prices in the second half of this fiscal, the central bank noted.

The Social Protection Response
In the face of rising food and fuel prices, social protection programs can play a key role in
Forestalling increases in poverty, with wider developmental, social and even political benefits. By helping to prevent increases in poverty, social protection programs help households maintain access to food, energy, and essential services. Social safety nets can also reduce the impact of economic shocks on health and education. Furthermore, when social protection programs are perceived as fair and compensatory, they can be important in maintaining social equilibrium and preventing social unrest

 Bangladesh Goverment made up policy to reach food sfety level. but having some processing complex many time our system falls  in  some obstragle.

Bangladesh’s state grains buyer has issued a new international tender to purchase 100,000 tonnes of wheat, European traders said on Monday.

Any origin worldwide will be accepted from the 2009 crop year.

The tender deadline is Feb. 9 and bids must remain valid up to Mar. 2. Shipment must take place within 60 days of contract signing.

Bangladesh has in past months issued a series of wheat tenders in the international market but some were later cancelled including those issued in September and October. The country has a long process of purchase approval which goes up to cabinet level. [ID:nDHA480967]

It also has issued a tender for 100,000 tonnes of wheat closing on Jan. 18. [ID:nDHA518809] A further tender for 70,000 tonnes closes on Feb. 4. [ID:nSGE5BM07Y]

Another previous tender for 60,000 tonnes which closed on Jan. 4 was believed to have been cancelled after the latest inquiry for 100,000 tonnes was issued, traders said. [ID:nDHA480967]

Bangladesh plans to buy 750,000 tonnes of wheat in the year to June 2010 to replenish stocks, food ministry officials have said.

Traders say Bangladesh is buying more wheat this year because of lower global prices while domestic production is stagnating at around 1 million tonnes. (Reporting by Michael Hogan; editing by James Jukwey)

“The whole population in Bangladesh is vulnerable to climate change impacts.”

If not the world comes to its aid, Bangladesh says the liability of its agriculture sector to climate change could spell severe consequences for its millions of people, who stand to lose their main source of livelihood.

“As a poverty-stricken and densely populated country, we cannot cope with these challenges unless we have a proper financial and technological support from the developed world,” said Sabir Hassan Chowdhary, one of the delegates from Bangladesh to the Copenhagen climate talks.

Describing Bangladesh as the most vulnerable country in the world to the impacts of the global environmental phenomenon, delegates from the country are making passionate appeals for international help to prevent further deterioration of its food and livelihood security in the face of frequent droughts, erratic rainfall patterns, cyclones and floods.

The low-lying riverine South Asian country, one of the poorest in the world, lies between the foothills of the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean.

“Over the last few days in Copenhagen itself, a number of research organisations have declared us the most vulnerable country in the world to the impacts of climate change. Therefore we want the world to stand behind us to meet the challenges we are facing,” said Bangladesh’s environment and forest minister Hassan Mamud.

Some 130 heads of state are gathered at the United Nations Climate Conference in this capital. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed optimism that a new climate change deal will be reached at today’s conclusion of the conference.

“We desperately need the world community to come forward and help us in adapting to the changing climate. And we would like to maintain that the adaptation funds, committed by the developed world, should be in the form of grants, not loans,” he said.

Mamud said 70 percent of such funds should be specifically allocated to the Least Developed Countries, including Bangladesh.

Data obtained by researchers working on climate change in the Himalayas show that “at least 20 glacial lakes in Nepal, some of them even 40 meters deep, can burst at any time. If these glacial lakes burst, the entire Bangladesh will get flooded,” told Mahmud. “That is why we say that we are more vulnerable than countries like Maldives.”

Bangladesh, “despite being not responsible for the global warming,” he said, has begun exploring measures aimed at mitigation like using compressed natural gas as fuel in public and private transport and harnessing solar energy.

Citing scientific studies, Ziaul Hoque Mukta, another member of the Bangladesh delegation, said in an interview with IPS that sea level will rise by 45 centimetres by 2050 while 10 to 15 percent of the land area of Bangladesh will be lost under water, displacing a large number of the more than 30 million people in the coastal nation.

“Poor landless people, who largely depend upon the coastal natural resources, will be at high risk,” he said, adding that coastal regions comprise 32 percent of the total area of Bangladesh and are home to about 35.1 million people. “So Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to sea-level rise.”

Based on data from the Bangladesh government, 20 percent of the country’s national income is generated by the agricultural sector, which employs approximately 60 percent of the total workforce of this south Asian country.

It is estimated, Mukta said, that 65 percent of the 250-square kilometre area in the coastal island of Kutubdia, 227 sq km in Bhola and 180 sq km in Swandip in Bangladesh “have already gone under water because of the sea- level rise.”

Bangladesh is self-sufficient in terms of agricultural production, “but climate change is going to make the food security and livelihood survival very difficult,” Nishat said. Bangladesh has to create a “robust industrial structure” if it wants to adapt to the impacts of climate change in future, he added.

“The erratic rainfalls, droughts and cyclones are already creating problems in the agriculture sector, which can worsen if required steps are not taken,” he said.

In June Dhaka received 440 millimetres of rain in a day, or more than double the average daily rainfall of 150 to 180 mm.

These environmental phenomena are putting the food security and security of livelihood at a huge risk, he added.

Bangladesh will continue its ban on rice exports, possibly into next year, in order to hold down local prices of the staple food, the government said on Saturday.

“The decision on rice export for both aromatic and non aromatic may continue after 2009 to keep the rising price within the capacity of common people,” said Pius Costa, government director general of food.

“The government has issued the order to reimpose the ban last week prohibiting export of both aromatic and non-aromatic rice till the year-end of 2009,” he told Reuters.

Since May last year the government has imposed a ban on exporting rice which ended last month.

“We welcomed government’s decision as we do not know about the output of Aman rice,” said K. A. Mannan, the managing director of Mabco Food Limited, a leading importer and exporter of wheat and rice.

Aman is one of the main rice varieties in Bangladesh. Bangladesh produces around 30 million tonnes of rice, nearly sufficient to feed its more than 150 million people.

“Moreover Indian traders are negotiating with us for importing rice from our country,” Mannan told Reuters, suggesting a ban on all kinds of rice exports should continue for another year.

Other hand

The Bangladesh food and disaster management ministry has re-floated a tender to import 60,000 tonnes of wheat by April, a senior official said on Saturday.

The tender was floated after the authorities had cancelled the results of tenders issued in September and October to import a similar quantity of wheat.

The tender seeking the crop of the current year from any origin will close on Jan. 3 with validity up to Jan. 24. The shipment should be within 60 days of signing of the deal.

The food ministry has issued several tenders to buy wheat since September. The last was floated last month to purchase a similar quantity of wheat.

For the re-floated tender, bidders may offer a minimum quantity of 30,000 tonnes and 60 percent of the offer should be delivered at the country’s main Chittagong port and the rest to Mongla port on a cost, insurance and freight (CIF) basis.

Out of the tenders issued since September to buy more than 500,000 tonnes wheat, authorities so far have purchased only 100,000 tonnes wheat of Ukraine origin from an European trader.

Bangladesh plans to import 750,000 wheat in the year ending June 2010 to rebuild its stocks, officials said.

Bangladesh, which consumes rice as a staple food, produces about one million tonnes of wheat annually. It also produces around 30 million tonnes of rice, nearly sufficient to feed its almost 150 million people