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Food Minister Afroza Khanam has expressed optimism that Bangladesh will not face any major food supply crisis during the upcoming Ramadan, saying the country has adequate stocks to meet domestic demand.
“There is no food shortage in the country. We have sufficient stocks to meet demand,” she told journalists on Saturday after inspecting the Chattogram jetty and silo.
The minister later visited the warehouses of Dewanhat Central Storage Depot (CSD) and inaugurated the conference room of Halishahar CSD.
She said ensuring the timely delivery of safe food to consumers and maintaining a stable supply of essential food commodities were among the government’s top priorities.
To this end, initiatives are being taken to improve food preservation, stock management and distribution systems, she added.
Asked about food supplies and prices during Ramadan, Afroza said the government had made the necessary preparations ahead of the fasting month.
“Given the adequate food stocks, we hope there will be no major supply problems during Ramadan,” she said, adding that the government was working to ensure the uninterrupted availability of essential food items at affordable prices, keeping consumers’ purchasing power and interests in mind.
The minister acknowledged that various factors, including fuel supply shortages in international markets, could put upward pressure on commodity prices.
However, she said the government was taking necessary measures to keep domestic supplies and prices stable.
On food imports and distribution, Afroza said the government was working to resolve existing complications in the import process.
She said the authorities would implement plans to procure food from international sources, maintain continuity in supplies and review progress to take necessary measures.
Regarding staff shortages in the food department, the minister said the issue was receiving serious attention to improve the efficiency of its operations.
She acknowledged that overcoming longstanding administrative and management constraints could take time but said efforts to address the problems would continue.
On her visit to the Chattogram silo, Afroza said the inspection had helped assess the performance of existing infrastructure, progress in project implementation and limitations in food storage facilities.
The ministry would coordinate with the relevant departments to identify and resolve the problems, she said.
Reviving long-unused facilities could ensure better utilisation of public assets and increase the country’s food storage capacity, she added.
The director general of the Directorate General of Food, officials from the food department and representatives of the district administration were present during the visit.