Star Business Report, The Daily Star, 04 May 2008

A renowned economist yesterday said unprecedented food price hike might have pushed 80 per cent people of the country down to the poverty level.

“Eighty percent people of the country may now be living below the poverty level,” said Professor Muzaffer Ahmad at the concluding session of a workshop in Dhaka.

Reffering to a research, he said generally around 40 per cent people of the country tend to live below poverty line, with another 40 per cent who are very vulnerable to falling below the poverty line, adding that any unprecedented disaster or price hike would push this segment of the population down the poverty level.

Institute of Media and Communication Studies organised the two-day workshop on ‘the role of media to ensure food security’ at Chhayanaut Sangskritik Bhaban.

It is the responsibility of the state to fulfill minimum food requirement of its citizens, Muzaffer said, adding that only a democratic state can play this primary role effectively.

He citied the famine of 1943 saying that it was not food shortage rather the distribution problem had caused the tragic manmade famine.

“A country, in which media is controlled by the government, cannot perform its responsibility of distributing food to all properly,” he said.

He also said with appropriate methods and useful research it is possible to increase food production of the country significantly.

Economists Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud and Prof Atiur Rahman and journalist Shaikh Siraj of Channel-i, among others, spoke at the workshop.

Staff Correspondent, The Daily Star, 09 May 2008

Politicians and civil society members yesterday urged the caretaker government to immediately introduce rationing system for providing lower and lower-middle class people with rice and other essentials at low price.

At a citizens’ dialogue, they also suggested that the government increase investment and subsidy in agriculture to ensure food security in the country.

Only an elected democratic government can control the skyrocketing price hike of essentials, the speakers said at the dialogue styled “Stop price hike, save people”. They also called upon all political parties to incorporate the issue of food security into their election manifesto.

People’s Forum on MDG and Campaign for Popular Education (Campe) jointly organised the dialogue at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday.

Awami League Presidium member Suranjit Sengupta said rice production and people’s purchasing capacity will have to be increased to control the prices of essentials.

“The country has to be self-sufficient in producing rice and other essentials. And for this, investment and subsidy in agriculture will have to be increased,” Suranjit said, adding, “All of these can be possible when an elected democratic government comes to power after the next general election.”

BNP leader and former state minister MA Mannan said the government should pay more attention to the agriculture sector, especially for increasing subsidy and investment.

Workers Party polit bureau member Hyder Akbar Khan Rono said rationing system should be immediately introduced for general people. “A long-term and effective planning is needed for increasing rice production and ensuring food security,” he said.

Shishir Shil, executive director of People Empower Trust and member of the steering committee of People’s Forum on MDG, said an inter-ministry task force for agriculture, food, fisheries, commerce, local government, land, law and science and technology will have to be formed to keep the price hike within people’s buying capacity.

Ataur Rahman Miton of Hunger Free World, Shirin Akhter of Karmajibi Nari, political leaders Shahiduzzaman, Dr Abdur Razzaque, Abdus Shahid and SK Shahidul Islam, among others, addressed the dialogue presided over by Campe Director-in-charge Azizul Haq.