Welcome to Business Outlook
Related Articles
A staggering nearly 22% of Bangladesh’s total households are grappling with moderate or severe food insecurity, highlighting a concerning trend where one in five households lacks reliable access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food.
Rangpur division witnesses 29.98 out of 100 households facing food insecurity, with Sylhet emerging as the most severely affected, where 1.42 out of 100 households are in dire straits.
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on Sunday presented the key findings based on its report titled “Food Security Statistics 2023” at a programme in the capital.
The nationwide average for food insecurity stands at 21.91%, with Rangpur division at 29.98%, Sylhet at 26.48%, Mymensingh at 26%, Rajshahi at 25.01%, Barishal at 22.83%, Khulna at 22.07%, Chattogram at 19.66%, and Dhaka at 16.40%.
Delving deeper into extreme food insecurity, the countrywide average is 0.83%, with Sylhet division at 1.42%, Chattogram at 1.16%, Khulna at 1.09%, Rangpur at 0.84%, Barishal at 0.67%, Dhaka at 0.64%, Mymensingh at 0.53%, and Rajshahi at 0.51%.
Nearly one in every 100 households faces severe food insecurity, with Sylhet bearing the brunt of this crisis, according to the findings.
While food insecurity rises, the country paradoxically experiences an increase in calorie intake. Despite this, Bangladesh remains one of the ten undernourished countries in Asia and the Pacific, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
A stark urban-rural divide is evident, with 24.12% of rural households experiencing food insecurity compared to 20.77% in urban areas. The majority of households facing extreme food insecurity are in villages, accounting for 0.95%, while cities exhibit a lower rate at 0.67%.
Under the leadership of Director General Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, the BBS presented these findings, bringing attention to the critical need for immediate interventions to address the growing food insecurity crisis in the country.
Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Shahnaz Arefin attended the event as the chief guest.
Md Shahidul Alam, director general of the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit, and Khan Md Nurul Amin, chief of the General Economics Division, spoke at the event among others.
(TDS)
