Bangladesh wants faster warnings of commodity shortages. Artificial intelligence will analyze decade of data.

Bangladesh is developing an artificial intelligence-based data analysis system to predict shortages of essential commodities and help the government respond more quickly to market disruptions, the commerce minister said Tuesday.

Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said the platform would analyze 10 years of historical data and monitor domestic production, import dependence, international prices and the export capacity of supplying countries.

“The government’s main objective is to ensure that markets remain stable and that the supply of essential goods is never disrupted,” Muktadir said at a Commerce Ministry meeting.

The system could identify potential shortages of goods such as onions and pulses, allowing officials to begin import preparations before domestic supplies become scarce.

Muktadir said analyses that now require lengthy discussions among ministries could eventually be completed within minutes. Agriculture, food and other relevant ministries would have access to the shared database.