Inflation force families to cut eggs, milk from children's diets!

Poet Bharatchandra Ray Gunakor wrote in the middle ages, "May my child thrive on milk and rice." This deep desire of parents for their children's well-being has persisted through the ages, wishing for their offspring to have sufficient good food to eat. For many parents in Bangladesh, this is a profound sorrow; often, they cannot provide nutritious food for their children. In middle-class families, there was once a time when a little allowance for eggs and milk for the children was common. Even lower-income families would strive to offer their children a bit of rice with milk whenever possible. It is not uncommon to find mothers in Bangladesh who fry one egg to share among three or four children.

However, today, many families can no longer manage even that. A report published in the newspaper on Wednesday (October 23) revealed that many families have removed eggs and milk from their children’s plates due to rising costs. Many middle-class families are struggling to keep up with daily expenses. What is the situation for lower-income families?

According to available information, due to the high prices of essential commodities in the country, poor people are facing hardships. The children in these families are being deprived of nutrition. For a long time, inflation has been hovering around 10 percent, with food inflation being even higher. The prices of eggs, broiler chicken, liquid milk, and farmed fish are all high. For low-income families, the primary sources of animal protein are mainly eggs, broiler chicken, and farmed fish. Family earners have reported that their daily income ranges from 300 to 650 Taka. Almost all of their income goes towards rent and food expenses, and as food costs have increased significantly, they have reduced their consumption of animal protein.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has reported that an average of 42 percent of people's income is spent on food. The lower the family income, the larger the portion spent on food. Economists state that the impact of inflation is even more severe on poor families.

However, nutrition is crucial for children. A growing child's diet should include not only eggs and milk but also fish, meat, and various grains. The lack of these nutrients can cause a child to appear smaller than their age. It is very important to provide a yolk of an egg every day from six months of age for the child's brain development.

Abhijit Banerjee and his wife Esther Duflo won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2019 for their work in eradicating global poverty. Together, they also wrote a book titled Poor Economics. In that book, they explain why poor children often spend years in school without learning anything. The reasons are twofold: first, they suffer from malnutrition, which makes them sick more often; second, malnutrition hampers their ability to learn new things, as their brains do not function properly.

They identify malnutrition as a major cycle of poverty. Because the poor are malnourished, they cannot learn new skills, and thus they remain poor; and because they remain poor, they continue to be malnourished. This vicious cycle is a key focus of their research.

Despite numerous studies on poverty alleviation, the problem persists. The economy may grow, grand promises may be made, governments may change, but the plight of the poor remains unchanged. We want the state to take responsibility for our children, as they are also the children of the state. We hope to reduce vast inequalities and establish some semblance of social equity. Modern welfare-oriented states at least ensure that their citizens have access to nutritious food.

If we cannot provide our children with even a little nutritious food, there is no greater misfortune than that. Therefore, we demand that commodity prices be reduced by any means necessary. Let the demand for milk and eggs in the market increase. Our final prayer is simple: may my child thrive on milk and rice.