8.
ACTIONS TAKEN BY GOVERNMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES
IV.
4.1
Goverment Actions
4.1.1 Improving Access to Food for the Low-Income Populations
nutrient
22. Many governments in the Region have attempted to improve the food intake of low-income groups but these efforts are generally limited to the supply of foodgrains at subsidized prices through public distribution systems. Food distribution systems can combat specific deficiencies either by promoting improved dietary intakes of specific nutrients through appropriate commodity selection or by effectively increasing the income available to purchase a more diverse diet. The first mechanism rarely operates in the Region since public distribution systems are most commonly restricted to cereals and coarse grains. Any impact of these systems on the prevalence of specific nutrient deficiencies would therefore occur through the second mechanism, which depends for its success the targeting of the commodities to the nutritionally at-risk and on their purchase of nutritionally appropriate foods. Most of the systems in the Asia-Pacific Region are operated by government agencies or parastatal bodies. In the case of extreme hardship such as natural disasters and famine, national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are also involved.
on
23. The stated objective of public food distribution systems in most countries of the Region is to support producer prices, to stabilize market prices, ensure foodgrain availability at fair prices to the consumers, and provide relief measures for distressed groups. However, in many instances a significant proportion of the commodities so distributed are targeted to the army and to government employees as part of their conditions of service. The magnitude of foodgrain distributed varies according to the size of the country. Thus in Bangladesh public distribution amounted to about 2 million tons of foodgrains annually; in China, during 1984-86, an average
of about 90.3 million tons was distributed; and the public distribution system of India, functioning through "fair-price shops" distributed annually on average over 11 million tons of rice and wheat during 1984-86. The annual average volume of rice, wheat and coarse grains through public food distribution systems in Nepal was about 28 thousand tons during 1984-86. Nepal has had a Nutritious Food Programme with assistance from the World Food Programme since 1972, through which wheat, oil and limited quantitites of rice, pulses and milk powder are distributed to young children and pregnant and lactating women. The public food distribution system of Sri Lanka distributed on average about 6.55 million tons of rice and wheat annually during 1984-86. In the past Sri Lanka improved access to food by the low-income groups through a
food stamp scheme. Food stamps were issued to purchase goods from a basket of approved commodities namely rice, flour, bread, sugar, pulses, milk and dried fish. In Indonesia the public food distribution system distributed about 3.34 million tons of rice and wheat during 1984-86 largely to the army and Government employees. Of much smaller size is the family nutrition improvement project targeted to households below the poverty. line. This project has the stated objectives of combatting deficiencies of dietary calories, vitamin
iron and iodine and provides limited supplementary feeding in addition to iron, iodine and vitamin D supplementation in the form of tablets and capsules.
A,