Referring to a research report, Professor Rashed Al-Mahmud Titumir from Dhaka University said more than 199 million people may face a shortage of rice in Bangladesh, which is more than 34 percent of the projected population in 2100. [break]
This will be more than 740 million (19.58 percent) for India, 549 million (43.71 percent) for Pakistan and 73 million (53.50 percent) for Nepal, according to the report by Unnayan Onneshan of Imagine a New South Asia Alliance (INSA).
“In 2050, more than 29 million and 15 million population will face rice shortage in Bangladesh and Nepal,” said Titumir.
He was speaking at the Third South Asia Policy Forum that INSA organized in collaboration with South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics & Environment (SAWTEE) and South Asian Centre for Economic Journalists (SACEJ), among others.
Aftab Alam Khan, head of ActionAid International Food and Agriculture Program, called upon SAARC leaders to commit at least 10 percent of their national income for agriculture with 80 percent of this diverting to smallholder sustainable agriculture to ensure a hunger free South Asia. He also urged the SAARC leaders to operationalize the Food Bank with immediate effect.
Highlighting the need to operationalize a regional integration fund for the least-developed countries of the region, Puspa Sharma, program coordinator, SAWTEE, stated that SAARC should urgently act to implement the commitments on trade, economic and food security agenda.
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