Public Food Distribution System in Bangladesh: Successful Reforms and Remaining Challenges - From Parastatals to Private Trade - page 117

Element Pre-reform period (1970-92) Postreform period (1993-2003)

Price stabilization Price variability of wholesale coarse rice Price variability of wholesale coarse rice

Interyear Intrayear Interyear Intrayear

Year variation varation Year variation variation

1970s 28.1 13.9 1991-97 8.7 8.4

1980s 7.5 7.3 1993-2002 8.2

Number of staff Directorate of Food (1992) Directorate of Food

Operational: 8,170 a Operational: 11,598

Subsidy US$1.22 billion from 1982/83 through 1991/92 US$653.60 million from 1992/93 through

Yearly average US$122 million 2001/2002

Yearly average US$65.4 million

Expanded role of No imports by the private sector leading to higher cost Private sector imported 10.52 million tons of

private sector for the government foodgrain between 1992/93 and 2001/02, thus

reducing government cost by US$1.9 billion or
US$190 million on an average per year b

Savings to the government Reduced PFDS operation US$92 million per year

Pro-poor orientation Share of public food distribution to poor ranged Share of public food distribution to poor ranged from

of PFDS between 32% and 53%, excluding abnormal years of 58 to 85 percent, excluding abnormal year of flood,

floods: 1987/88 and 1988/89, when it was 56% and 1998/99, when it was 88 percent

60%, respectively

Impact of poverty- 1982/83 to 1991/92

alleviation activities Repair and maintenance of embankment: 22,030 Repair and maintenance of embankment: 45,761

kilometers kilometers

Canal digging: 16,434 kilometers Canal digging: 12,210 kilometers

Employment creation: 199.19 million person-days Employment creation: 271.91 million person-days

SOURCE : Author's calculation based on information from the Department of Food.
a Operational staff includes all staff of the Department of Food excluding the Ministry of Food.
b Assuming no private imports.