Have sufficient food stock till Ramadan: Cabinet Secy

There will be no food crisis till the next Ramadan in the country, said outgoing Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam on Tuesday.

The food stock position up to next June shows that there will be no food crisis, he told reporters after a meeting of the Committee of Secretaries at the Secretariat.

The Agriculture Secretary has been coordinating for the last six months in this regard. "More than 16 lakh tonnes of food remains in stock. So, we are in a good situation."

He said the yield of Aman paddy has been good this year as Aman has been cultivated in the low lands as the drought has been prolonged.

Besides, various food aid services including open market sale (OMS) will continue, he added.

On 27 November, all secretaries had a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and a follow-up meeting was held today, said the cabinet secretary.

"We have received a review from all our secretaries on the cost reduction efforts like how entertainment cost is reduced, how electricity bill is reduced, then how much is being reduced in petrol consuming," he said.

It has been possible to reduce the cost of electricity by about 48 percent since June, he said adding that the Prime Minister's office has reduced it by more than 60 percent and 40 percent cost reduction in fuel consumption has been possible, he added.

In the meeting of the secretaries with the prime minister, directive was given to get prepared for any possible crisis, he said.

Asked about the crisis, he said, it is not a political issue. If the supply chain is stopped due to any reason, for one or two months, all have been asked to get prepared for that, added the cabinet secretary.