Regional Analysis, Import-Export and Related Issues on Food Security

Abstract

The member states of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) share similar food habits with staple food rice is facing two challenges towards achieving food security and the promotion of regional trade. Trade engagement within South Asia, relative to Non-South-Asian countries, found to be low. Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka trade more with other South Asian countries compared to that among any two of them. The global food crisis 2007–2008 sheds light on the discrepancies between SAARC’s supposed objective of becoming an integrated economic community and its member countries’ continued tendency to put national economic interests above regional solidarity. At regional scale India contributes most in cereal production and export. However, to a large extent, the way in the crisis was handled at the national level not only contributed to further regional as well as global food price volatility, but also undermined the food security situation in the region. Bangladesh could not get rice to purchase during these critical days of 2007–2008 despite repeated attempts to pay as much as market demands. The diverse capacity of SAARC member countries to produce food, store and in distribution systems, food insecurity can be best tackled through a regional approach with differentiated responsibility for member states. This is the area where regional trade policy regimes need further integration so that it can withstand any sudden shock. It appears that many commodity markets within the countries and the South Asia region are not integrated. Integration of wheat and rice markets needs attention and action within countries and in region. These may be attributed to the lower number products of each country with surplus to export compared to Indian capacity for production and export. This chapter will try to investigate regional food trade (with some extent trade policies), barriers and opportunities and their implications to the regional and national food security in SAARC region.