On Int’l day of awareness of food loss and waste, experts want end to wastage

A virtual seminar titled "Challenge and solution to prevent food loss and waste in Bangladesh," was held to mark the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.

The seminar was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Society for Horticultural Science (BSHS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Bangladesh.

Speaking as chief guest in the programme, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque said, "In Bangladesh too, food is wasted at different stages starting from food production which is having a negative impact on food security on the one hand and farmers' income and economic development on the other.

"Due to the ongoing pandemic, food shortages have occurred in many countries of the world. That is why food cannot be wasted in any way."

FAO Dhaka Chief Technical Adviser Naoki Minamiguchi and Bangladesh Agricultural University Professor of Horticulture Dr Kamrul Hassan presented the keynote paper.

The keynote paper said that according to the FAO's 2019 report, one-third of the world's food production is wasted each year amounting to 1.3 billion tons. The paper goes on to say that though there is no precise data on the amount of food waste in Bangladesh but some studies have shown that post-harvest wastage of vegetables and fruits is 30-40 percent, with an annual financial loss of Tk 3,442 crore per year.

Food is wasted at every level from sowing, tending, harvesting, processing, reaching the store, reaching the buyer -- now a matter of global concern, according to the keynote presentation.

In December, 2019, FAO declared September 29 as International Day of Awareness of food loss and waste to spread the message on food waste around the world and why it needs to be stopped.

For the first time this year, the day is being celebrated worldwide with the theme of "Stop food loss and waste, for the people, for the planet."