Potato as staple food

THERE has been a rising trend in the price of rice in the country. Rice being the staple food any rise in its price affects the greater majority of the people. Though machination sometimes contributes to the rise in prices, generally demand and supply plays the main role in determining the price of the item. Over the last two decades the production of rice has remarkably increased. The country is almost self-sufficient now in rice production because of the modernisation of the production system and the use of high yielding variety of seeds as well as chemical fertiliser. The total volume of rice production can be further increased, no doubt. But the rise in the production volume is also subject to the principle of diminishing returns. After reaching a certain point, the total production will no more increase profitably. As it is a natural process it cannot be ignored unless a second revolution takes place in the agricultural arena. Newer production processes, new seeds and fertilisers have started to be used for this in some countries. Newer technologies have emerged in food production. However, before the adoption of now technologies if they prove safe, we shall have to go for alternative uses of food to meet the ever increasing demand. For Bangladesh this is all the more important because of the size of population and its rate of growth.

In fact, some major and minor alternative uses of food have already been there in our food chain. During the last four decades wheat and many types of food prepared out of it have beocme popular in the country. There is now a wide scope to use potato as another staple food item. Potato is very wholesome, rich carbohydrate, fat and protein. Currently Bangladeshis use potato mainly as a vegetable to prepare curry. This is a very narrow use of this wonderful item. It can be and must be used in various other ways as is done in Europe and North America. In those continents potato is a staple food like our rice. But it should also be noted that the people there do not rely on the staple food so heavily as we do on rice. They take a long list of food items for the sake of taste and nutrition, physical and mental vitality.

This is high time for us also to diversify our food habit for the sake of substituting the major item, rice, by other items. Potato can very much be such one item that can help reduce dependence on rice. The country now produces enough potatoes and its price is also within affordable limits of the average people. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has disclosed day before yesterday that it has targetted to produce 39 lakh tons of potato only in northern districts of the country. Potato is better produced in some central districts of the country including those of greater Dhaka and some parts of greater Comilla. So, there is likely to be no dearth of potato for use not only as vegetable but also as staple food. What is needed is to educate and motivate the people to use potato as a staple food alongside rice. The Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Food together may take up a campaign programme in this regard.