Behind the facade of Hasina’s ‘food self-sufficiency’

In October 2018, while speaking to the media, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina offered what she thought was quite a compelling rationale for providing shelter to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. 

She recounted her sister, Sheikh Rehana, saying, "You feed rice to 16 crore people. Can't you feed a few lakh more?" According to Hasina, that's what prompted her to take on the role of "mother of humanity." 

To this day, video clips of that presser often resurface on social media, with many questioning the audacity of someone attempting to claim credit for feeding the nation.

While Hasina was blatant yet limited to only taking credit for rice on this particular occasion, at other times she resorted to phrases like "making the nation self-sufficient in food production" and "ensuring food security" to expand the length of her achievements.

For instance, on 16 October 2021, Hasina stated that the country had achieved self-sufficiency in food production and that the government was taking all necessary steps to ensure proper nutrition for its citizens.

Again, on 14 September 2023, in the National Parliament, Hasina claimed that "food security remains ensured in the country, even amid the current international crisis."

Other influential figures in her government, from former agriculture minister Abdur Razzaque to parliament speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, also joined the bandwagon often to feed onto the narrative that Bangladesh had indeed become self-sufficient in food production under Hasina's exemplary leadership.

But that couldn't be further from the truth.

During Hasina's recent terms, whenever the price of a commodity rose abnormally in the local market, government officials always had a ready-made excuse, blaming it on price increases in the international market.

That excuse never made sense, because if the country were truly self-sufficient in food production, then price hikes in the international market should not have impacted domestic prices, at least to such an extent.

Theoretically, a country becomes self-sufficient in food production only if it can produce enough food to meet its own needs without relying on imports from other countries.

But according to the World Food and Agriculture Annual Statistical Booklet 2023 published by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Bangladesh imported around 12.5 million tonnes of food products from the global market in 2021, which ranked the country at the third place among food importing countries.

Among the major grains, we still have to import about 60 lakh tonnes of wheat, more than 50 lakh tonnes of maize, 12-13 lakh tonnes of pulses. Also Bangladesh has to import edible oil or oil seeds costing more than Tk 28,000 crores each year. 

The report also noted that Bangladesh ranked third in rice production among the six main food products globally. However, it did not rank among the top five countries in the production of wheat, corn, sugar, edible oil, or potatoes.

In recent years, Bangladesh imported the first four products. Importing potatoes was previously not necessary, as the country would typically export them. However, due to a sudden spike in potato prices in 2023, Bangladesh has now also become a potato-importing country.

Hence, experts believe the term "self-sufficient" cannot be used to describe Bangladesh when it comes to food production. 

"We may say we are self-sufficient in rice production, but Bangladesh is yet to achieve self-sufficiency in overall food production," Dr Md Golam Rabbani, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Bangladesh Agricultural University, told The Business Standard. 

He pointed out that among the major grains, we still have to import about 60 lakh tonnes of wheat, more than 50 lakh tonnes of maize, 12-13 lakh tonnes of pulses. Also Bangladesh has to import edible oil or oil seeds costing more than Tk 28,000 crores each year. 

Besides those, in the crop sub-sector, we have to spend a large amount of money to import fruits like apples, oranges and spices like onion, garlic etc.

"In the case of livestock, poultry and fisheries sub-sectors, we are not self-sufficient as per recommended daily allowance either," he added. 

Also, Bangladesh is heavily reliant on the international market for essential inputs in local food production, importing 80% of the chemical fertilisers required for crop cultivation.

Even in the last month, it was decided that Bangladesh will import a total 140,000 tonnes of fertiliser to meet the domestic needs which will cost around Tk637.29 crore. 

While importing fertiliser does not technically prevent a country from claiming self-sufficiency in food production, it certainly hinders the ability to control food prices during times of international crisis, ultimately undermining food security.

Contrary to Hasina's claim that food security was ensured in the country despite international crises, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in a survey titled "Food Security Statistics 2023" revealed that 21.91% of people were experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity, with severe insecurity affecting 0.83% of the population.

Of course, the situation could be much worse than what the bureau reported, as it has a track record of presenting figures that can create a more favourable image for the government. 

For instance, in January 2022, the bureau claimed that food inflation rates for urban and rural areas were 4.85% and 5.94%, respectively. However, the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) reported that food inflation in urban and rural areas was actually 11.36% and 11.21%, respectively—double the rates reported by the BBS.

That said, what the BBS food insecurity data still does is effectively debunk both of Hasina's claims of self-sufficiency and food security. 

If Bangladesh were truly self-sufficient in food production, it would ensure food security by providing the population with access to locally produced food. This would also lead to a more stable food supply, which is essential for achieving food security.

Dr Sujit Kumar Datta, former Chairman of International Relations at Chittagong University said that significant problems still plague Bangladesh's food supply system. Earlier this year, his paper titled "Food Security of Bangladesh: Searching for Sustainable Strategies" was published, which addresses these critical issues.

He explained that to manipulate the prices of essential foodstuffs, the syndicates engage in unethical practices such as hoarding and manufacturing false crises. Thus, locally farmed food is likewise out of reach for most people. 

"Government incompetence and corruption compound the problem. Corruption at various points in the food supply chain causes food to be mishandled, leading to shortages," he told The Business Standard.

He added that natural disasters and climate change also constrain food production significantly. The production process is affected by natural disasters, including floods, cyclones, and river erosion, which cause considerable damage to crops. Inadequate training and support also hinder farmers' capacity to increase productivity. 

"In addition, Bangladesh has yet to achieve true food self-sufficiency due to the government's ineffectiveness in planning and executing agricultural policies over the long term," he said.

And thus, the blame for Bangladesh not yet becoming self-sufficient in food production actually falls on Hasina's government, which had been in power for the last 15 years up until 5 August.