Media Foundation for Trade and Development Equity and Justice Working Group Rupantor Food Security under the Framework of Food Sovereignty SAARC Food Bank and SAARC Agriculture Policy 2020

IT Doesn’t Consider Local agricultural production and production system. Farmers right to produce food and consumers rights to consumption and purchase The right of nations to protect themselves from cheap agricultural and food imports (dumping). Link agricultural prices to production costs FAO’s Committee on World Food Security defined; ‘all people at all times have both the physical and economic access to the basic food they need’. Recognized three conditions ; Adequacy of food supply or availability, Stability of supply Access to food at the HH level, and by the poor. Food Security A Conceptual Framework

CONCEPT market based FS comparative advantage in production REFORM liberalization of food import market Reducing State Support RESULT weaken the subsistence economy based food security FOOD SECURITY About food Production Agenda of States and UN Physical and economic access Promotes unfair trading aid politics and dumping. Food Security: A Conceptual Framework

Availability of Food Food availability does not ensure food security particularly in the adverse economic condition and in the period of environmental hazards. Access to Food Access to food depends on food purchasing capacity. The food security of a daily laborer depends on daily income earning which is largely unpredictable Food Security: Conceptual Drawbacks

Price Hike and State of Food Security Retail prices are up % in China, 17 % in Sri Lanka, 10 % & more through out the Lt America & Russia, Around 20 percent in Bangladesh Among the agricultural commodities; Dairy products are as much as 200 % Maize prices hit a 10 year high in Feb2007, Wheat is up 50 %, Rice up 16 % and Poultry nearly 10 %.

In 2006 rice was the staple food of 3.23 b, wheat of 1.55 b and maize of 288 m people. BUT International Trade of Rice is Less Price Hike and State of Food Security

Causes of Food Price Hike Theoretically the market economics says; ‘the price of any commodity rises when its supply fall off or become uncertain, Myth technologies helped to increase global rice output steadily from about 254 m tones in 1965 to 598 m tones in This growth rate has been declining since indicating the need for additional support to increase the productivity of rice

Causes of Food Price Hike

Causes of lowering production Crop Loss..... During last decade occurrence of hydro- metrological disasters, associated with climate change, increased 10 times Chances of forming tropical cycle increased by 40 % by 0.5 C ocean surface temperature rise In Bangladesh, two prolonged floods and cyclone SIDR in 2007 caused 1.4 m tones crop loss. World Bank’s study revels that 15 to 17 % land areas i.e to sq km would inundated by 100 years by 100 cm sea level rise, would reduce agricultural production by 30 to 50 %, would make 20 m people environmental refugee

Causes of lowering production Shifting paradigm of demand side Agri-commodities are considering as the potential raw materials for bio-fuels Worryingly, India to plant 140,000 sq km bio-fuel crops, Brazil 1.2 m sq km. S Africa 4 m sq km of land is being touted as the future Middle East of bio-fuels, Indonesia to increase its palm oil area from 64, 000 sq km now to 2.6 m sq km in 2050 for energy.

Causes of lowering production Shifting paradigm of demand side Grain for cattle feed is increasing as globally the number of meat-eaters is growing Study Says; In 12 Asian by 2020 consumption will be increased beef by 50 %, pork 30 % chicken 40 % and diary 55 %. Feed Conversion Ratio; Chicken, 2:1 Pork 4:1; Beef 7:1

Uphold small farmers right over production systems and production inputs; Ensure consumers rights to get access safe food; Protect domestic agriculture from the dumped food products; Recognize the right of women farmer; Food Sovereignty Framework and Attaining Food Security

Encourage local production system and practices rather than corporate and export led farming Protect agriculture based subsistence economy from imported cheap agricultural products Encourage and subsidize organic farming practices Adopt integrated agriculture policy to reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture Food Sovereignty Framework and Attaining Food Security

Ensure inclusion of ‘farmers rights’ in the draft bio- diversity act and ‘right to food’ in the country’s constitution. Rejuvenate BADC ( Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation) to support small farmers with quality seeds and other inputs. Establish community based seed center or UP (Union Parishad) based seed center to support farmers with quality seeds during post-disaster period Food Sovereignty Framework and Attaining Food Security

Ensuring Food Security : SAARC Food Bank CONCERN Committed food is 2, 41,560 MT; Bangladesh 40, 000 MT, Pakistan 40,000, India 1, 20,000 Bhutan 5,000, Maldives 8000 and Sri Lanka MT, not sufficient in the context of regional demand and need could be procured during emergency period and in international market price no policy coherence in line with the international trading Decision was taken in SAARC Delhi Summit to establish SAARC Food Bank All the SAARC countries (except Afganistan) ratified the decision The first meet of the officials of SAARC Food Bank held in Sri Lanka on Oct 2008

Ensuring Food Security : SAARC Food Bank Proposal The stock of food is not sufficient; the developing countries should contribute more. To adopt a long term strategy so that SAARC Food Back could satisfy the need of hungry people of the South Asian countries. The price of food should be half of the international market price SAARC Food Bank could promote the concept of International Court of Justice to establish ‘right to food’

SAARC Agriculture Policy 2020 Background A high level meeting of the agriculture ministers of the SAARC countries to be held in Delhi 3-5 Nov 2008 Proposal Mutual cooperation for increasing food production Increase investment in the production of agricultural goods Emphasis regionalization in attaining food security and marketing of food products

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