The claimed success of Bangladesh in the area of rice or cereal production do not take cognizance of the other side of the nutrition related issues
Hardly a pretty overall picture of nutrition
Afzal Hossain
For instance, the increase in food production has hardly had any substantial impact among Bangladeshs vast population in terms of better or higher calorie intake or nutrition. This is because higher foodgrain production cannot be the only benchmark for claiming a higher level of nutrition of the population which ought to be the main goal.
Per head availability of proteins and vital nourishing foods such as fish, animal meat, poultries, dairy produces, etc., have been falling in Bangladesh. Furthermore, the mountains of rice stocks notwithstanding, purchasing power of common people in many cases have hardly improved to the extent for them to buy foodgrains at prices they can afford. The nutrition picture in Bangladesh to which is vitally linked the health and vitality of its workforce and economic growth, remains actually rather bleak.
It has been found that 58 per cent new born babies in Bangladesh are underweight as the mothers suffer from poor calorie intakes during the child bearing period. The malnutrition of mothers and children do not end there. It continues after birth with the result that neither the mother or the children--the future citizens of the country-- quite grow up into healthy adults . Such young adults are not to be considered as possessing enough vitality to contribute gainfully to the workforce of the country.
The workforce is ready to perform at optimum level when its members are physically free from handicaps and mentally enjoy a similar state. But unfortunately, too many in the workforce in Bangladesh fall short on both counts and certainly this does not augur well for its economy . According to one estimate, monetary loss to the economy due to malnutrition could reach upto 23 billion US dollars for Bangladesh in the next 10 years.
Therefore, attention to nutrition issues and programmes to improve the nutritional picture assume critical importance and these ought to be essentially looked at from the perspective of setting the stage for economic growth and development and nothing short.
It is ironical that at a time when Bangladesh has been experiencing bumper harvests for consecutive years, so many mothers should be undernourished to give birth to emaciated children or 25 per cent of the population are consuming less than 1800 calories per day and 15 per cent less than 2160 calories per day. The problem, thus, lies not in production of food but in food availability for the poor at prices they can afford.
Addressing of the malnutrition issue would clearly require improving the purchasing power of about 40 per cent of the poor and very poor in the population who are malnourished because they do not have the resources to buy adequate food.
The above picture of malnutrition in the country should underline the importance of greater activity in this sphere. But government is yet to put into implementation any appropriate plan of action in this vital area of concern.
The writer is a contributor to theindependent
