The New Nation - Internet Edition

Md. Masum Billah

The soaring price of life saving commodities has baffled all classes of people in general and the middle, working and lower classes in particular. Edible oil, food grains such as rice and wheat and children's' food exclusively power milk stand champion in this climbing race. Powder milk is not a luxury item, rather it is a surviving item, even then it remains within the grip of huge taxation of the government gaining momentum of soaring high every month. The situation shows that there is no referee to whistle for drawing this game to a close. As the price of rice climbs across South Asia farmers and millers in Thailand are setting on stocks and waiting for it to rise even further. Top rice exporter in Bangkok says in an interview with the Straits Times, " In my 25 years of trading , I have never seen such a bad position." So, Bangladesh being an Asian country and prone to natural calamities cannot expect to see a better situation in respect of rice and wheat price. It has gone beyond the buying capacity of commoners several months back, still it warns us to go beyond further. Government, in one sense, has surrendered to this situation. However, citizens cannot comply with the government's argument; they can go with it either.

India recently contributed to soaring world prices imposing a ban on rice exports to Bangladesh, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Comoros Islands. Recently she has relaxed only partially to allow some supplies to these countries and Sidr hit Bangladesh but the situation still remains almost unchanged both in the world market and in Bangladesh as well. In the local markets of Pakistan, the price of rice has gone up over the past month by more than 60% .China banded rice exports to ensure enough is available for domestic demand. From Kansas to Kabul, high rice and wheat prices are worrying officials and economists and have started hitting tens of millions poor people. In Singapore, while rice importers and supermarkets have no problems getting the staple grain, in the past three months prices have risen by 30-40 percent. Singapore imports rice from more than 20 countries including Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, China, Pakistan, USA, Egypt and Australia. A recent food price survey by the Farm Bureau in the American State of Missouri found that in the fourth quarter of last year, the retail price of a 20 ounce loaf of bread had already risen 30 US cents from the previous quarter to US $2.

Thailand's rice exporters numbering between 150-200 but with the top 10 controlling up 70%of export trade are finding rice hard to come by because of stockpiling by farmers and millers.. "Even non-rice traders have got into hoarding rice in Thailand, so exporters have not got it." The government's procurement price 6700 baht($211) per tone, but the real price up to close to 9000bhath. While Thai government has been releasing rice from its stocks, the volume has not been enough to alleviate the situation.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of Philippines had contacted Vietnamese Prime Minister Ngoyen Tan Dung on February 20 to see if he could pledge an undisclosed supply of rice officially and it is considered as an exceptional move in a market that normally operates on a purely commercial basis among traders or state procurement agencies. It was not the first time an Asian government takes action in the face of soaring grain prices and growing fears over the security of food supplies. The same situation happened several times but the present situation has made many Asian states fearful. Philippines whose rapidly expanding population among the most dependent on imports could run short of its staple national food which is mainly rice. Robert Zeigler, Director General of International Rice Research Institute located in Manila said, " We have a crisis brewing in terms of rice supply." Nearly half the planets 6.6 billion people depend on rice for survival but rising population and economic growth mean that the world is already eating more the grain than is harvested. Vietnam, World's second biggest exporter put temporary ban on shipments to meet domestic demand between harvests. World's stocks of the grain are currently around 7.2 million tonnes which show their lowest levels since the early to mid 1970s when food shortages triggered a devastating famine in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is currently scrambling to secure supplies of rice after a devastating cyclone Sidr last year which washed away about one million tones of the grain. The causes of the shortage and high prices are diverse and vary from country to country.

They include natural disasters or adverse weather, high fuel prices which add to transport costs, hoarding and smuggling of rice and wheat to take advantage of higher prices across national borders. Disruption of electricity seriously hampers rice production. Bangladesh is immune none of these factors. To alleviate the grave situation already intruded upon us and to avid further gravity of the situation, the government must take some short term and long term measures. Government has already promised to make the chemical fertilizers easily available to the farmers, less disruption of electricity supply causing load-shedding in urban areas and other related but doable measure to see a bumper harvest. As a part of immediate measures, private bidders are allowed to import rice. It further needs relaxation to release imported rice particularly in the docks. All the available parks and playgrounds must be brought under cultivation.

As world figure shows more people are consuming rice than the world produces. The gap is widening gradually as the industrial world concentrates more attention on industries and urbanization, the agricultural products have shown a downward trend comparing the growing population.

The industrial world as well as the growing industrial countries should ponder over the point that the maximum industrial raw materials directly come from agriculture. So invariably we must direct our serous efforts towards agricultural production. The number of farmers is becoming less day by day in all the developed and developing countries of the world. One point regarding this fact proves positive that being employed less people in agriculture; the world can be satisfied with necessary food grains. But according to this matrix, the production has not increased as the present global rice shortage and other food grains gives evidence. Only 7% world's rice supply is traded internationally but it is a critical amount for any country facing a shortage because rice is also a political commodity. We remember PL 480 Law of the United States how they play a game with developing countries using food as plaything. It is learnt that huge amount of food grain is wasted to crease artificial famine in the world and people of developing countries are made depended on them. Nature definitely does not show this with pleasing eyes. Its adverse effect must be borne by the people of this planet. Now the world shows serious food shortage and Bangladesh cannot evade this situation easily. But a group of people just blame the inefficiency of the government which does not stand on a strong base. In fine, to alleviate the situation we must stop politics with food as it has been used as political commodity both nationally and globally for many years. Now let us view it on humanitarian grounds as the survival of humanity and even the animals is directly related to it.

(The write works as a specialist in Brac Education Programme, PACE and regularly writes on various national and international issues.)