14 Karnataka districts to get fortified rice from April 1

The Food and Civil Supplies Department will start the distribution of fortified rice from April 1 in 14 districts of the state.

The state's annual requirement of fortified rice for the 14 districts is 12.7 lakh metric tonnes which will be entirely supplied by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

The move comes after the announcement in the state budget on Friday about distributing fortified rice under the 'Poushtika Karnataka' (Nutrition Karnataka) programme to eradicate malnutrition.

The personnel in the state's 58 rice mills are currently being trained in fortification. They will start producing and supplying fortified rice only from next year. Since fortified rice will retain the added nutrients only for 45 days, the department has to complete distribution within the stipulated shelf life.

The rice will be fortified with nutrients like iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12. Additional Chief Secretary (Food and Civil Supplies) Kapil Mohan told DH, “It is the easiest way of ensuring these nutrients reach the public. Fortified rice will be mixed with unfortified rice in a ratio of 1:100 prior to distribution.” This means for every 100 kg of rice, one kg will be fortified.

Kanagavalli M, commissioner, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, told DH that five kg of food grains will be given per member as per the National Food Safety Act guidelines.

The 14 districts that will receive 12,71,732 metric tonnes of fortified rice throughout the year are Bagalkot, Ballari, Bidar, Vijayapura, Chikkabalapur, Davangere, Gadag, Kalaburagi, Haveri, Koppal, Raichur, Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada, and Yadgir.

The districts with the highest allocation are Ballari (1,41,147 quintals), Kalaburagi (1,33,473), and Vijayapura (1,07,539). “The idea is that by next year all 31 districts of Karnataka should be supplied with fortified rice. We are starting supply to 14 districts, to begin with,” Mohan said.

“These districts were chosen for the pilot project phase based on their population and malnutrition levels,” said Kanagavalli. The pilot phase will be costing the government Rs. 93 crore.

“All 58 rice mills are privately owned. If one kg of rice had to be fortified here, it would cost 50 paise per kg,” Mohan said.

Fortifying rice involves grinding broken rice into powder, after which nutrients are added to it, and then it is shaped into rice-like kernels. Food additives are also used to ensure that the rice looks and tastes just like unfortified rice does.

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