Staff Correspondent

A staggering 21 percent of the country’s total population is grappling with food insecurity, highlighting a concerning trend where approximately one in five people in Bangladesh lacks reliable access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food.

The recently unveiled ‘Food Security Statistics Project-2023’ report at the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) auditorium in the capital stated severe disparities across the divisions.

Rangpur witnesses 29.98 out of 100 people facing food insecurity, with Sylhet emerging as the most severely affected, where 1.42 out of 100 people are in dire straits.

The nationwide average for food insecurity stands at 21.91 percent, with Barishal at 22.83 percent, Chattogram at 19.66 percent, Dhaka at 16.40 percent, Mymensingh at 26 percent, Rajshahi at 25.01 percent, Rangpur at 29.98 percent, and Sylhet at 26.48 percent.

Delving deeper into severe food insecurity, the national average is 0.83 percent, with Barishal at 0.67 percent, Chattogram at 1.16 percent, Dhaka at 0.64 percent, Khulna at 1.09 percent, Mymensingh at 0.53 percent, Rajshahi at 0.51 percent, and Sylhet at 1.42 percent.

Startlingly, one in every 100 people faces severe food insecurity, with Sylhet bearing the brunt of this crisis. While food insecurity rises, the country paradoxically experiences an increase in calorie intake. Despite this, Bangladesh remains one of the 10 undernourished countries in Asia and the Pacific, according to World Health Organization standards.

The BBS survey underscores that 21.91 percent of the population is food insecure, with 1.13 percent experiencing extreme food insecurity, leaving 78.89 percent with no food insecurity concerns.

A stark urban-rural divide is evident, with 24.12 percent of rural dwellers experiencing food insecurity compared to 20.77 percent in urban areas. The majority of those facing extreme food insecurity reside in villages, accounting for 0.95 percent, while cities exhibit a lower rate at 0.67 percent.

Under the leadership of Director General Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, the BBS presented these findings, bringing attention to the critical need for immediate interventions to address the growing food insecurity crisis in Bangladesh.

Dr Shahnaz Arefin, Secretary of Statistics and Information Division under the Planning Ministry, attended the event as the chief guest.

Md Shahidul Alam, Director General of Food Planning and Monitoring Unit under Ministry of Food and Khan Md Nurul Amin, Chief of General Economics Division, among others, spoke at the event.