Bangladesh wastes over 21 million tonnes of food every year at different stages from farms to consumers’ tables, said Farida Akhter, Adviser to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

She said the lack of proper storage facilities, price management and infrastructure are major reasons behind such huge losses of food despite farmers’ hard work in production.

Farida was speaking at a seminar titled “Towards Zero Food Waste: Building a Sustainable Food Supply System in Bangladesh” held at a city hotel on Monday. The event was jointly organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Royal Danish Embassy in Dhaka, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Bank and World Food Programme (WFP).

Citing World Bank and WFP assessments, she said about 15.5 to 16 million people in Bangladesh still suffer from acute food insecurity, a situation likely to persist until the end of 2025.

The government is trying to increase and ensure safe food production, but at the same time, a massive amount of food is wasted — whether it is milk, eggs, meat or fish,” she said.

She highlighted that indiscriminate fishing also contributes to waste.

When targeting hilsa and other species, fishing boats end up discarding nearly two-thirds of their catch back into the sea, causing serious damage to biodiversity and resources,” she said.

Anders Karlsen, Chargé d’Affaires of the Danish Embassy in Bangladesh, said globally, one-third of all food produced is wasted.

The land used to produce this wasted food is larger than China, and in the end, nobody eats it,” he said, stressing that along with food, agricultural land and greenhouse gases are also wasted in the process.

The best time to take action was yesterday. If not, then it must be today,” Karlsen urged.

FAO Deputy Representative Dia Sanou explained the local and global impacts of food waste.

The world produces enough food to feed 1.5 times the global population, yet due to poor distribution, weak infrastructure and, most importantly, food waste, hunger and malnutrition persist. Despite having surpluses, the most vulnerable people still go without adequate food,” he said.

WFP Bangladesh Deputy Country Director Jesse Wood said studies reveal that 8–15% of paddy and 20–40% of fruits and vegetables are wasted after harvest, with an estimated financial loss of $2.4 billion annually.

He noted that despite being a major producer of vegetables, fish and other essentials, Bangladesh still imports these items due to inadequate storage and cold-chain facilities.

This is a missed opportunity for both farmers and the economy,” he added.

CPD Executive Director Dr Fahmida Khatun pointed to the environmental costs, saying: “When we waste food, we also deplete scarce environmental resources. As one of the most climate-vulnerable countries, Bangladesh must prioritise reducing food waste.”

The seminar brought together government officials, private sector innovators, experts and development partners, who discussed effective strategies to minimise food loss and waste in Bangladesh.