April 18, 2008	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 11, 1429

DHAKA, April 17: More than half a million Bangladeshi troops have been ordered to eat potatoes in an attempt to ease the impact of surging rice and wheat prices.

Potatoes are not traditionally on the menu for Bangladesh’s 140 million people but army chief Gen Moeen U. Ahmed and the country’s army-backed interim government has ordered a change in diet because potatoes are now cheaper and more abundant.

World prices of rice, wheat, edible oil and pulses have almost doubled over the last year, increases that poorer Asian countries can ill afford. Bangladesh was hit last year by two severe floods and a cyclone that destroyed around 3 million tonnes of food grains, raising fears of a possible famine.

“The daily food menu now includes 125g of potato for each soldier irrespective of rank,” government agriculture adviser Choudhury Sajjad Karim quoted the army chief as saying on Thursday.

Potatoes will also be eaten daily by air force and navy personnel along with other regimental services including police, which together have more than 500,000 members.

Officials say the 8 million tonnes of potatoes produced this year — 3 million more than last year — could cushion any food emergency if the forthcoming rice and wheat harvests are hurt by seasonal storms.—Reuters