SHEHAB SUMON

• In mid-November, Bangladesh observes the main rice harvest season
• UN’s Rohingya refugee support plan for 2025-26 is only 36 percent funded

DHAKA: As Bangladeshis celebrate the main rice-harvesting season in mid-November, they will share part of their crop with Rohingya refugees, authorities said on Tuesday, after cuts in international aid triggered a food crisis in the camps.

The UN’s Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya has been funded in slightly more than a third of the total financial requirements to sustain more than 1.3 million refugees who have fled Myanmar since the 2017 military crackdown and taken shelter in neighboring Bangladesh.

Since the onset of the crisis in August 2017, donors have been generously contributing to support the refugees in 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar on Bangladesh’s southeast coast, but in 2021 the aid started to drop, forcing agencies to compromise on education, healthcare and food rates.

Hosting the refugees for more than eight years, Bangladesh, which is already grappling with domestic challenges, has been appealing to the UN for more assistance as it was no longer able to allocate additional resources for the response.

The symbolic decision to share this year’s rice harvest with the refugees, comes as Nabanna, a centuries-old festival celebrating the first rice of the season, is observed in mid-November.

“The Rohingyas have been facing severe crises in recent months due to the fund crunch. In this context, Bangladesh has decided to share 400 metric tons of rice with the Rohingyas on the occasion of Nabanna,” Mizanur Rahman, refugee relief and repatriation commissioner in Cox’s Bazar, told Arab News.

“Bangladesh will hand over this rice to the World Food Program within a couple of days, and WFP will distribute it through its channels.”

Food rate cuts have been a reality over the past few years, aggravating the camps’ already chronic malnutrition.

The World Food Program, which is the major provider of food assistance to Rohingya refugees, halved its food rations from $12 to $6 per person in early 2025. Only last month the $12 value was restored, but the aid is not certain, as the 2025-26 Joint Response Plan remains only 36 percent funded against its $935 million appeal.

“Rohingyas at Cox’s Bazar are living with extreme uncertainty. As per my knowledge, WFP has funding assured for managing food for Rohingyas until March,” Rahman said.

“Due to the funding crisis, livelihood opportunities have been further reduced inside the camp areas. To mitigate the shortfall, we are appealing to unconventional donors to contribute to humanitarian operations in the Rohingya camps. We are seeking attention from Asian giants and Gulf countries to provide additional support for the Rohingya.”

Published Date: November 19, 2025