The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Achieving self-sufficiency in food production should be the top agenda for the country, said the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Bangladesh.

"The country has no option but to become self-sufficient in food," said an Editorial of the ICC, B News Bulletin.

"The expected bumper "Boro" harvest due to hard works of the farmers and agricultural extension workers show that Bangladesh as the 4th largest rice producing country of the world has all the capabilities and potentials to meet its own requirement," it added.

The Editorial suggested that the country must draw up a Master Plan having sufficient investment in agricultural research, provision of appropriate incentives to farmers to go for cereal production as well as ensuring proper management and modernisation of the sector.

"Through an articulated and coordinated effort of the government and the private sector, the country can achieve its target production to feed the millions in the years to come," it hoped.

The Editorial went on to add that Bangladesh over the past few decades has successfully been meeting the staple food demand of its growing population with minimum imports. Even, there was a span of time, when country was able to export rice. The situation became critical, as three natural calamities that hit the country last year damaging farm output coupled with global food shortage have adversely affected Bangladesh along with other countries, the editorial noted.

It further said the global food stocks came down to its lowest level in 25 years mainly due to increased food demand from China and India as well as use of millions of hectares of corn, wheat and other crops for production of bio fuel since 2006.

Besides, other factors that contributed to price hike are adverse weather conditions, such as an unexpectedly severe cold spell in China, floods in Bangladesh and India as well as droughts in Australia one of the world's largest grain producers, where wheat harvest fell by 60 percent.