'Country Facing Rice Crisis as People Eating Excessive Rice'

Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak thinks that there is a shortage of rice because the people of Bangladesh eat more rice. For this, he has urged to change the food habits.

The minister was speaking as the chief guest at an agricultural conference in the capital on Sunday (October 24th).

Advising the people to eat less rice, the presidium member of the Awami League said, " The average person of Bangladesh eats twice as much rice as the people in the world."

"We eat a lot of rice, we eat rice," he says. "That is why there is a shortage of rice. We eat about 400 grams of rice a day but people in many countries of the world do not eat even 200 grams of rice. There is no shortage of food in the country. No food crisis and no cry for food. But people are putting more pressure on rice because they eat more rice. This often leads to crises. Prices are also rising."

Claiming that Bangladesh is successful in rice-based granular food, the minister says, mangoes will be available in the country all year round in the next five to six years.

"We are also exporting agricultural products now," he says. "However, this export must be spread all over the world. The government's goal now is to achieve complete food self-sufficiency. Apart from this, the government has also taken initiative to ensure nutritious food. But it requires a commercial transformation of agriculture."

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the country's rice production in the 2016-17 financial year was 34.8 million tons. In 2020, the production has increased to more than 40 million tons.

According to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in 2016, the daily per capita consumption of rice in Bangladesh was 396.6 grams. As of 2016, the company had 426 grams.