The SAARC Food Bank is likely to be operational soon with the completion of ratification by the member states, reliable sources said. According to a highly placed source, among the member states of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), so far four -- Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka -- have ratified the declaration for establishment of the proposed SAARC Food Bank. The declaration is now awaiting the ratification by the other SAARC nations. The declaration for establishing a SAARC Food Bank was made at the last SAARC Summit in India held on April 3, 2007. Initially, the idea was to set up a SAARC Food Reserve. But later it was moved to a Food Bank considering the growing concern about the looming food crisis worldwide. A diplomatic source said the SAARC Food Bank would start its operation with a food reserve of two million tons of rice and wheat. All the member countries will contribute to the reserve. The food will remain in respective storage of the member nations as food stock, which will be designated as SAARC Food Bank. The idea of SAARC Food Bank is that whenever a country of the SAARC faces food shortage, it will have a scope to take food from the designated storage of its own country to face the emergency crisis. If such food is not sufficient to meet its demand, the member country will have an access to take more food from neighbouring SARC countries designated storage as loan. (Trading Markets .com)