Fortified rice key to address malnutrition: experts

Experts discuss FRKs as a cost-effective, sustainable solution to address malnutrition & anaemia in India.

Fortified Rice Kernels (FRKs) are crucial for the country to collectively address malnutrition and anaemia as they have been scientifically proven nutritious, cost-effective, scalable and sustainable, said experts at a meeting today.

They were speaking at a stakeholders meet on FRKs organised by CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) on its campus at Pappanamcode here.

In his inaugural address through videoconferencing, Dr H.N. Mishra, Emeritus Professor (Food Technology), IIT Kharagpur, said fortification has emerged as an efficient and cost-effective alternative in the pursuit of a comprehensive strategy to eradicate micronutrient malnutrition.

Calling for an urgent intervention, Dr. Mishra said as per World Health Organisation (WHO) data, about 37% of pregnant women and 40% children under five globally suffer from iron deficiency. As per the National Family Health Survey 2021, about 58% of children, 57% of women and 22% of men in India are anaemic.

“To address anaemia and micro-nutrient deficiency, the Government of India allocated a total Budget outlay ₹174.64 crore for a period of three years from 2019-20 as part of a pilot scheme under PM’s POSHAN Abhiyaan. It envisages distribution of fortified rice through the public distribution system,” he said.

Dr. Mishra said the initiative has reached around 12 crore children and 10.3 crore women across the country. The government aims an outreach to 50 crore beneficiaries under the scheme by 2024. Commodities that are being fortified in India are milk, oil, wheat, rice and salt.

According to him, effective implementation of the fortification of rice programme requires quality control, quality analysis, regulatory standard and coordination among stakeholders.