Fortified Rice

Subject: Economy

Section: PDS

Context: The Union Cabinet approved a scheme to distribute fortified rice under government programmes like NFSA, ICDS, PM POSHAN and others.

Background:

In last year’s Independence Day speech, PM had announced the fortification of rice distributed under various government schemes, including the public distribution system (PDS) and midday meals in schools, by 2024.
FCI and state agencies have already procured 88.65 LMT (lakh tonnes) of fortified rice for supply and distribution.
But, around 35 million tonne (mt) of fortified rice is required for supply grain to beneficiaries of NFSA, ICDS, PM POSHAN and other schemes annually with an estimated cost of Rs 2,700 crore.
In the first phase which ended in March 2022, fortified rice was supplied to beneficiaries of ICDS and PM POSHAN beneficiaries across eleven states — Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand.
In the second phase of implementation, along with the beneficiaries under ICDS and PM POSHAN, fortified rice will be provided under NFSA and other welfare schemes to 291 aspirational and high burden districts assessed in terms of stunting by March 2023.
The decision on providing fortified rice comes after the government decided to extend the free ration scheme — Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) — by six months to September-end 2022.

Concept:

Need for fortified rice: To combat anaemia and Malnutrition among women, lactating mothers and children. Also, Rice is one of India’s staple foods, consumed by about two-thirds of the population (Per capita rice consumption in India is 6.8 kg per month). Therefore, fortifying rice with micronutrients is an option to supplement the diet of the poor.
India’s capacity for fortification: Last year, nearly 2,700 rice mills had installed blending units for production of fortified rice, and India’s blending capacity stood at 13.67 lakh tonnes in 14 key states. FRK production had increased rapidly from 7,250 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes within 2 years.

Technologies involved in Rice Fortification:

Various technologies are available to add micronutrients to regular rice, such as coating, dusting, and extrusion.
Extrusion involves the production of fortified rice kernels (FRKs) from a mixture using an ‘extruder’ machine. It is considered to be the best technology for India. FRKs have a shelf life of at least 12 months.
The fortified rice kernels are blended with regular rice to produce fortified rice.
As per guidelines issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the shape and size of the fortified rice kernel should “resemble the normal milled rice as closely as possible”. According to the guidelines, the length and breadth of the grain should be 5 mm and 2.2 mm

Standards for Fortification:

Cooking Procedure:

No special effort needed. The rice needs to be cleaned and washed in the normal way before cooking. After cooking, fortified rice retains the same physical properties and micronutrient levels as it had before cooked.

Way to distinguish between fortified rice and regular rice:

Fortified rice will be packed in jute bags with the logo (‘+F’) and the line “Fortified with Iron, Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12”.