Public health experts at a webinar called upon the authorities concerned to provide subsidy in transportation in order to increase the production, supply, marketing and consumption of fresh vegetables in towns and cities in the country.
They also called for formulating an urban agriculture policy to ensure smooth and adequate supply of vegetables and fruits so that the urban people could buy these in lower price.
The public health experts said that although Bangladesh is one of the world’s leading producers of vegetables and fruits, the people of the country are consuming fewer fresh fruits and vegetables than they need. The adequate supply of vegetables and fruits would save the lives of about 2.7 million people in the country every year, they added.
Centre for Law & Policy Affairs (CLPA) and ARK Foundation jointly arranged the webinar on ‘Policies and Law to Ensure Fresh Vegetables in Cities: Obstacles and Responsibility’ on Monday (July 5).
Dr Rumana Haque, a professor of Economics of Dhaka University and chief executive of ARK Foundation, presided over the function, where secretary of CLPA Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin presented the keynote. Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary, MP from Gaibandha-1, Mohammad Ruhul Quddus, country lead of Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Prof Dr Nouzia Yeasmin, head of Public Health Department of State University, Ahsan Rony, founder of Green Savers, Ziaur Rahman of WBB Trust, food security expert Imrul Hasan, nutrition expert Tamanna Sharmin, Aminul Islam Bakul and Tushar Chandan spoke on the occasion, among others.
In his keynote, Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin said that consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits is needed to prevent non-communicable diseases. He said that a total of 16 policies exit in the country regarding the food. But the supply of fresh vegetables did not get emphasize in the policies except the national policy of nutrition. The production, supply and consumption of fresh vegetables must be ensured to prevent various diseases, he added.
Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary called for providing subsidy in transportation to ensure the supply of fresh vegetables and fruits. He also called increasing tax of tans-fast food and tobacco products.
The speakers said that the non-communicable diseases are now reasons for 67 per cent of total deaths in the country. The diseases must be dropped in 30 per cent to fulfil the goals of SDG. For this reason, there is no alternative to consumption of fresh vegetables.
