‘Five tonnes rice wasted for polishing every 100 tonnes’ 

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder has said 5.0 tonnes of rice is wasted for polishing every 100 tonnes of rice, all of which is a nutritional part of the grain. 

"According to a research finding, five tonnes of rice is wasted for polishing every 100 tonnes of rice, all of which is nutritional part of the grain. You should keep in mind that shining rice has no nutrition," he said. 

The food minister said this on Saturday while addressing the inaugural function of the 'International Nutrition Olympiad 2022' at the Student-Teacher Center auditorium of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) in Dhaka, reports BSS citing a press release. 

Sadhan urged the Nutrition Club members to come forward to wage a public movement titled 'We will not consume polished rice'. 

He said that under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Food Ministry is working to ensure safe and nutritious food for all citizens of the country. 

Activities of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority are going on in every district across the country, he said, emphasizing on involving the youth for creating public awareness regarding nutrition. 

Food Secretary Md Ismiel Hossain presided over the function while Principal Coordinator (SDG Affairs) at Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Zuena Aziz, SAU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Dr Md Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) former VC Professor Dr Abdus Sattar Mandal, Professor of Dhaka University (DU) Institute of Nutrition and Food Science Dr Nazma Shahin and Country Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Dr Rudaba Khandoker spoke as special guests. 

Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) Director General Md Shahiduzzaman Faruki delivered a welcome address while Initiator of the Nutrition Olympiad and Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development (BIID) Chief Executive Officer Shahid Uddin Akbar spoke at the function, among others. 

After the inaugural function, the food minister went around different stalls. 

The two-day Olympiad has featured working sessions, nutrition competitions, seminars, debate, painting, and an innovation lab programme.  

Representatives from 30 countries across the globe took part in the International Nutrition Olympiad.