Public Food Distribution System (PFDS)

Description

Soaring food prices have put pressures on the Food Division, MoFDM to improve the management of public stocks of food grains, so as to ensure timely and adequate planning and implementation of food distribution programs throughout the year, Sound public food stock management requires effective monitoring of stock inflows and outflows at the level of Silos, Local Supply Depots (LSDs) and Central Storage Depots (CSDs), and the provision of reliable stock – related information to regional and central levels. The Government of Bangladesh with the assistance of The Bangladesh Resident Mission (BRM) of Asian Development Bank intended to implement software to strengthen the role of the Directorate General of Food, which is to maintain and strengthen the national food security system. There is provision of SMS & Email to Farmers and Millers for eProcurment and also for DO beneficiaries..

What do we deliver?

Module wise Benefits 1. Procurement Supports different types of purchase, such as: Internal procurement: purchase from miller, farmer External procurement: local, import/LC. Benefits: Fortnight milling capacity information at a glance Easy allotment to miller as milling capacity according to national procurement plan Multi-level monitoring WQSC reconciliation 2. Stock Any transaction affect stack card / godown ledger / LSD/CSD ledger automatically because this is an online centralized system and all the transaction is controlled by Loading Unloading Advice. Benefits: Multi-level commodity-wise stock position National stock position Regional stock position District stock position LSD/CSD/Silo stock position Auto generated godown loss register 3. Movement Program All types of dispatch is controlled by Movement Program. V-Invoice is issued by program/sub-program number Benefits: In-Transit monitoring Transit loss monitoring Easy program monitoring Easy contractor monitoring Contractor settlement 4. Market Price Collection of commodity-wise market price as daily, weekly, fortnightly, and monthly. Benefits: View area-wise current market price Stores commodity-wise and category-wise current data 5. V-Invoice Monitoring When Consignor dispatches any commodity against a program, stock will be debited instantly. At the same time UCF, DCF and Consignee will be notified automatically about this transaction. When Consignee receive this commodity against the issued invoice, stock will be credited and UCF, DCF and respective Consignor will be notified instantly. Benefits: Transit time minimization Transit loss notification System will notify about contractors payment bill/deduction 6. Allotment All types of delivery is controlled by Allotment. DO is issued by Allotment/sub-allotment number. Purchase from miller is also controlled by Allotment. Benefits: Easy allotment monitoring for DO Easy allotment monitoring for Purchase from miller/farmer Miller security deposit settlement 7. Government Order (Allotment Order) Other ministries will issue GO (Allotment Order) to DC. PFDS will endorse the issued Allotment Order and after that, UCF will be able to issue DO to the respective LSD/CSD. Benefits: Transparent DO issue system Reduced inconsistency between different steps of a DO.

How is the project unique?

Previously, Loading Unloading Advice (LUA) is used generally as one of the transactional documents of many other documents such as V Invoice, Delivery Order (DO), Weight Quality Stock Certificate (WQSC), Loading Unloading Advice (LUA), Milling Dispatch Form (MDF), Milling Receipt Form (MRF), Market Price, Program, Allotment, V Invoice Enquiry (VIE). It was difficult to accumulate relevant information from these various forms. From our detailed system study, we have found that LUA is the central document of all the operations. Instead of fill in hundreds of information in these various forms, the system requires only entering data into the LUA which has been identified as the core form of all transactions. Once LUA is filled in through the system , then there is no job at Godown level. Various reports (stack card, ledger, LSD/CSD ledger, DOSS (part I&II), Delivery Order (DO)) are automatically updated through this LUA. On the other hand, system can easily generates V-Invoice, Allotment, Procurement Monitoring, Transit Loss Monitoring, and Shipped Discharge Report.

Roadmap

To ensure timely and adequate planning and implementation of food distribution programs throughout the year, sound public food stock management is required. The effective monitoring of stock inflows and outflows at the level of Silos, Local Supply Depots (LSDs) and Central Storage Depots (CSDs), and the provision of reliable stock – related information to regional and central levels are essential for this purpose. The proposed output is likely to have, but may not be limited to, the following socio-economic impacts: a) Food security Identification of food insecurity, specially the temporal, special & transitory insecurity is very difficult and time consuming through manual information flow system. Moreover, it suffers from inaccuracy and value judgment. ICT can supplant as a device of quick information collation in a dependable and neutral manner, giving the society an opportunity to have access to food at time and places of need. So, the society at large will be well-poised to fight against hunger and malnutrition. Especially women and children will come under the safety net program that ensures food security in terms of nutrition. b) Better monitoring – Information of supply and demand of food grains, its production prospects, price fluctuation at both at home and abroad, income growth, demographic changes, nutritional status, import and export of food grains and their projected trends etc. are of vital significance in order to ensure food security through planning and budgeting in advance with the help of ICT accomplishment of the aforesaid activities in an effective manner. c) Promoting Good Governance & Transparency-Good governance is a key to socio-economic development and poverty reduction. Corruption is often both a cause and effect of weak governance. Improving governance and reducing corruption are critical to helping the poor people escape poverty, and achieve food security. Introduction of ICT can do the miracle in this regard, making each & every element of action and resources transparent, visible and accessible and facilitating wide scope for redress and fiduciary oversights. d) Proper Utilization and Savings of the Resources- Due to the application of technology, skilled manpower will be put in place and unskilled human resources gradually phased out. Electronic recording and reporting system will save human and material resources, replacing ledgers and books of accounts in material forms and making traveling expenses for reporting redundant. It will also save time in doing task and reporting information upward, downward and parallel. e) Government ICT Policy-National Policy of science & technology stipulates, inter alia, that Bangladesh will be made poverty free, prosperous country through the application of science & technology. The quality of life of people of the disadvantaged status will be improved through enhancing the quality of education and health care by innovative application of ICT, inspiring the creation of jobs through technological growth. E- Governance strategy is being formulated through support for development of public sector use of ICT under EMTAP project. (Economic Management Technical Assistance Program)..

Contact

Directorate General of Food
Manzoor Alam
Khaddya Bhaban, 16 Abdul Gani Road, Dhaka-1000 Bangladesh 845418
URL/Website – www.dgfood.gov.bd