Cutting waste more can make food security easier to achieve

While winter harvests offer temporary relief from rising prices, a silent storm brews in the form of rampant food waste, threatening the very security of our food systems and pushing prices back up. But there is a shield to be forged: Minimising waste at every stage, from field to fork.

In the World Population Review index, Bangladesh stands at the 14th position in vegetable production and third in rice production. However, the per capita waste is substantial at 65kg per year, a considerable figure that has the potential to alleviate concerns about lingering food insecurity in the country.

The issue of food waste is a worldwide concern, with one-third of the food produced globally for human consumption going to waste. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN estimates a staggering 1.3 billion tonnes of food, valued at nearly a trillion US dollars, is wasted on a global scale.

Nations around the globe are individually tackling the challenge of food waste in pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Target 12.3 of this goal aims to reduce food loss and waste by half by 2030.

Bangladesh has also initiated several projects to minimise food waste. However, the cumulative impact of these projects is anticipated to fall considerably short of achieving the 2030 SDG target.

A staggering 5 million tonnes of food are lost between farm and kitchen each year in Bangladesh, while households contribute over 10 million tonnes to this feast of waste. Together, a shocking 15.7 million tonnes of food disappear annually, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (Bina).

However, an analysis of the various projects under the agriculture and food ministries reveals that only 3.35% of the total wastage can be prevented if the government's ongoing initiatives to reduce post-production crop damage and food wastage are fully implemented. 

Globally, 8% of food is lost on farms, 14% between the farm gate and retail sector, 17% at retail food service providers and in private homes.

Under the ministries of Agriculture and Food, there are currently eight ongoing projects aimed at enhancing food management, including the expansion of storage capacity and the reduction of post-harvest losses.

Even with the successful implementation of these projects, the impact of reducing food waste is anticipated to be marginal and it will likely take a minimum of 2-6 years to observe tangible benefits.

Regrettably, there is a lack of discernible government initiatives focusing on diminishing table wastage through public awareness campaigns.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has been unable to update progress review indicators for the past nine years, despite Bangladesh's commitment to halving food waste by 2030 as part of the SDG.

The scale of Bangladesh's fight against food waste

Department of Agriculture officials highlight the urgency for Bangladesh to address post-production crop damage and reduce table wastage in the aftermath of the pandemic and climate change-induced disruptions worldwide. 

Notably, projects like the steam plants being developed by Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) in Savar, Dhaka, with an investment of Tk50 crore, aim to utilise steam heat technology to cut post-harvest losses. 

These plants, with a yearly treatment capacity of 35,000 tonnes of mangoes and other agricultural products, are expected to increase product shelf life, but the implementation of the projects and commencing operations will take at least six more months.

Md Mahbubey Alam, the former project director of the BADC project, told TBS, "The project is slated for completion by the upcoming June, allowing us to commence the application of steam heat technology in agricultural products. This initiative will contribute to minimising post-harvest losses and facilitate export endeavours."

Bina has initiated another project, the Gamma E-Radiation Centre costing Tk115 crore. This technology, planned for 2.5 lakh tonnes of agricultural products and fruits annually, is currently undergoing the tender process for machinery and infrastructure construction, expected to conclude in at least two years. 

Implementing radiation technology across various products, including onions, potatoes, vegetables, mangoes, bananas, litchis, spices, fish, and dry fish, can potentially cut post-harvest losses, minimising wastage by about 53 thousand tons annually.

Bina's research data indicates that in Bangladesh, post-harvest losses account for 20-25% in onions, 30-35% in mangoes, 25-30% in bananas, papayas, guavas, and litchis, 8-9% in rice, 6-7% in pulses, 10% in potatoes, and 5.7% in ginger. The combined annual production of these 10 products is 52.87 million tonnes, resulting in a post-harvest loss of 5.13 million tonnes.

Dr Mirza Mofazzal Islam, director general of Bina, told TBS, "Despite its significance, it took three years to initiate the construction of the Gamma E-Radiation Centre. I am optimistic that we will complete it within the next two years."

Farm mechanisation could be a big help

Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture has initiated an agricultural mechanisation project, a venture costing Tk3,000 crore. The primary goal of this project is to mechanise the entire agricultural process, from seed sowing to threshing, aiming to commercialise agriculture and reduce post-harvest losses by 10-15%. However, concerns have already arisen regarding the achievement of the project's objectives due to allegations of various irregularities.

However, Project Director Tariq Mahmudul Islam provided insights into the machine's utilisation during the 2023 Aman season. According to the data in their assessment report, 11.22% of Aman cultivation across 5,730,764 hectares is managed through mechanisation from planting to threshing. This approach has successfully minimised the post-harvest loss by 2.18 lakh tonnes of paddy. With this capacity, it becomes feasible to reduce the post-harvest loss of 4.36 lakh tonnes of paddy in the two main seasons, Aman and Boro.

The initiation of the partner project by the Department of Agriculture Extension to modernise 81 warehouses under the Department of Agriculture Marketing for food grain storage is yet to commence.

Furthermore, the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (Bari) is conducting small-scale training sessions for individuals and entrepreneurs aimed at reducing post-harvest losses. Emphasising the processing of fruits and agricultural products, the organisation not only enhances product value but also imparts technology to extend shelf life for entrepreneurs and farmers. However, there is no precise evaluation of the exact value added by this research institute.

The institute has provided training to a total of 3,000 farmers, including approximately 300 entrepreneurs, covering various aspects of storage, packaging, sorting, and processing of agricultural products.

Dr Md Golam Ferdous Chowdhury, the senior scientific officer at the Postharvest Technology Department of Bari, said, "We disseminate our technologies to entrepreneurs and interested farmers through training sessions, covering areas such as post-harvest loss and food processing."

"These initiatives are carried out by different organisations under the Ministry of Agriculture, and currently, large-scale agricultural mechanisation is the only effective measure in reducing post-harvest losses," he added.

Regarding this matter, Agriculture Minister Md Abdus Shahid told TBS, "I will gather all information regarding the quantity of agricultural products lost at any stage and take subsequent actions."

On another note, among the three projects currently underway under the Ministry of Food, one involves the construction of 30 silos with a combined capacity of 1.5 lakh tonnes. Originally slated to commence in 2021 and conclude by December 2024, only the drawing and design phase of the silo project has been completed thus far.

As part of the Modern Food Storage Facilities Project, a total of 8 lakh household silos have been distributed across 19 disaster-prone districts. These silos primarily serve to store family food grains after a calamity. 

The ongoing efforts to enhance capacity by constructing new food warehouses through another project, targeting an increase of 1.38 lakh tonne storage capacity, are anticipated to be completed by 2026.

As a component of the government's eighth five-year plan, the National Agriculture Policy was endorsed in 2020, incorporating various recommendations on harvesting, processing, storage, packaging, and transportation of agricultural products. 

However, sources within the Ministry of Agriculture indicate that specific measures have yet to be undertaken to put the policy into effect.

The National Agriculture Policy emphasises the enhancement of agro-processing by addressing issues such as storage inadequacies, processing challenges, marketing of agricultural products, post-production management, and the scarcity of refrigerator vans and cold storage as primary concerns.

Storage can save onions, other vegetables; potato shows the way

Another significant effort aimed at minimising food wastage involved the expansion of storage capacity. Within the Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project under the Ministry of Commerce, discussions are underway regarding offering diverse policy incentives to encourage investments in cold storage. However, tangible outcomes are not yet apparent.

According to the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association, there are 414 private cold storage facilities in the country, with 95% dedicated to potato storage and the remaining 5% utilised for storing fruits and fish. 

An effective cold storage management could potentially expand its role beyond potatoes to include other products, contributing to year-round needs.

Agricultural economists said improving storage management is a straightforward solution to reduce the country's reliance on Indian onions. The annual onion demand is 28 lakh tonnes while the current production is 34 lakh tonnes. However, due to a post-harvest loss of 25-30%, around six lakh tonnes of onions need to be imported from India annually.

According to Bina's research data, the annual post-harvest loss for onions exceeds Tk2,000 crore.

Dr Jahangir Alam Khan, an agricultural economist, said, "By adopting cold storage facilities for onion preservation, achieving self-sufficiency in onions, similar to potatoes, becomes feasible. Therefore, it is imperative to provide incentives that motivate entrepreneurs to invest in this endeavour."

The quantity of winter vegetables produced in Bangladesh decreases by two-thirds during the summer. 

Agricultural officials suggested that implementing specialised cold storage for vegetables could effectively minimise wastage and enhance food safety.

Food waste must be reduced: agricultural economists 

Agricultural economists emphasise the necessity of conserving food to address the challenge of food production not keeping up with population growth. 

The production of key food grains such as paddy and wheat witnessed a 13.36% increase over the past 11 years, reaching 3.90 crore tonnes in the last fiscal year. However, the country's population has grown by 14.66% during the same period.

In 2023, over 7 lakh tonnes of various food products were lost due to natural disasters induced by climate change.

Agricultural economist Professor Jahangir Alam Khan said food waste is having severe repercussions for middle-income countries like Bangladesh, particularly when consumers are grappling with escalating inflation.

"The rate of food wastage at the household level, occurring after cooking, is approximately 25% in Bangladesh. While a significant portion of wasted food in rural areas is repurposed as poultry and cattle feed, in urban areas, all surplus food typically ends up in the trash," he said.

Global events like the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war-induced supply chain disruptions, coupled with frequent crop losses by extreme weather impacts, have prompted countries like China, Australia, the UK, and France to toughen their laws and intensify moves to cut food waste.

Fresh warnings have come from Red Sea conflicts which might disrupt food supply further and slow the declining trend in global food inflation, making the call for cutting food waste even louder.

The BBS in its Food Security Statistics 2023 said more than 21% of the population in Bangladesh face moderate or severe (less than 1%) food insecurity.

Bangladesh needs to expedite its efforts to cut food waste and reduce fear of food insecurity, agricultural economists urged.