She said this on Thursday while speaking as the chief guest at an inception workshop on a study on the consumption and demand of atap rice, organized by the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) at the training hall of the Directorate General of Food in Dhaka.
The Food Minister said, rice is the staple food of the people of Bangladesh. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate future food policy by collecting reliable information about people's dietary habits, rice demand and consumption patterns. In particular, the results of research on the use and demand of atap rice by region can play an important role in food planning.
She said, the responsibility of the Ministry of Food is not only to ensure food stock; people's needs, preferences and nutritional requirements must also be taken into consideration. Although atap rice is used in making various traditional foods and pitha, it is necessary to know the real picture of its consumption across the country.
Calling on researchers to conduct more detailed research on the nutritional differences between atap and parboiled rice, the minister said, it is necessary to know how much nutritional value changes due to rice processing, milling and cooking methods.
At the workshop, State Minister for Food and Public Administration Md. Abdul Bari, Food Secretary Abu Taher Md. Masud Rana, Director General of FPMU Md. Mahbubur Rahman, along with officials from government and non-government levels, university teachers and researchers participated.
Discussants said, considering regional differences in people's dietary habits and rice preferences, information on atap rice consumption, consumer preferences, nutritional value and future demand will be helpful in food security and nutrition planning.
