Bangladesh is the least food-secure among the six South Asian countries, says Global Food Security Index 2012, released by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
The report is an assessment of food affordability, availability and quality of 105 countries around the globe, said EIU.
In the overall ranking, Bangladesh was placed 81st scoring only 34.6 on a scale of 100. Sri Lanka is the most food-secure South Asian country becoming the 62nd in the overall ranking with a score of 47.4.
India was ranked 66th with a score of 45.0. Pakistan scored 38.5 to become 75th country in the ranking. Myanmar scored 37.2 and became the 78th country followed by Nepal at 79th.
Wealthy nations performed best in the index with the US, Denmark and France holding the top three positions, followed by a number of northern European and Australasian countries.
Sub-Saharan African countries are ranked as the most food insecure, with Burundi, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo taking the three positions at the bottom.
Japan scored as many as 80.7 to become the 16th nation in terms of ensured food security while China became 38th scoring 62.5 jointly with Romaina.
Bangladesh is also behind Myanmar and Nepal in the low-income ($1,005 per capita or less) group of 24 countries in the other index based on income classification.
Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan include the list of 26 lower-middle income countries ($1,006-3,975 per capita). China is one of the 28 upper-middle income ($976-12,275 per capita) countries. A total of 27 countries led by the US are the high income countries with $12,276 per capita or more.
‘The world, on balance, is richer and better fed than it was 50 years ago, but those gains are under threat. The global population is growing, and is expected to reach 9bn by 2050. Consumers in emerging markets are wealthier, and are spending more of their income on meats and processed foods — driving up demand and straining supplies. High prices for oil and other agricultural inputs are making production more expensive,’ observed EIU in the executive summary to the report.
‘Extreme weather increasingly threatens harvests, and agricultural productivity gains are waning as investment falters. Competing demands for crops add to the pressure. All of this suggests that high prices — and price volatility — will threaten global food security for at least the next decade,’ it added.
The report finds that food insecurity also threatens political stability and lack of food is correlated with a substantial deterioration of democratic institutions in low-income countries, as well as a rise in communal violence, riots, human rights abuses and civil conflict.
The index was made based on researches on food security, including the FAO’s annual State of Food Insecurity in the World report, the Global Hunger Index of the International Food Policy Research Institute, and the Maplecroft Food Security Risk Index.
According to the index, China is the country to experience the least volatility in agricultural production during the last 20 years, while three North African countries — Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria — faced the most.