Food Advisor Ali Imam Majumder assured that there is no risk of a food crisis in the country, stating that the political tension between India and Bangladesh will not affect the food situation.
"Trade between the two countries is still ongoing," he said.
He stated, "We purchase rice from India in exchange for money, and they sell it. The market functions through both buyers and sellers. Sellers must come to the market because they need to sell, and we go there because we need to buy. Similarly, we do not view the import of rice or other goods from India through a political lens."
He made these comments while speaking to the press on Sunday at the Secretariat regarding the country's food stock situation.
The Food Advisor said, "We do not view imports from any other source politically. We see it as part of the market mechanism. We buy from wherever the prices are lower."
He also mentioned that the entire wheat supply in the country is imported. "The annual wheat demand in the country is 7 million metric tons, but we produce only 1 million metric tons locally. The majority of the rice in the country is locally produced, with some portion being imported. We have other import channels for rice, and after the current import is completed, I hope, InnshaAllah, that the import quantity will be lower than in previous years."
The Food Advisor informed that the current food stock situation in the country is satisfactory. As of now, the government’s food warehouses hold 20,027,420 metric tons of food grains, including 1,696,787 tons of rice, 2,33,224 tons of wheat, and 9,07,409 tons of paddy.
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
