Rice Fortification – Government of Andhra Pradesh, Vizianagaram District

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Case Study

Rice fortification project for the people of Vizianagaram

District Administration Vizianagaram works under the Government of Andhra Pradesh to provide nutritious food to the people of Vizianagaram district

Problems:

There are vitamins and mineral deficiencies in a substantial portion of the population in Andhra Pradesh, These deficiencies are leading to anemia, night blindness and several other birth defects. Women of reproductive age group having anemia, this reflects the grave situation. The problem of malnutrition is complex, multi-dimensional and inter-generational in nature, the determinants of which include household food insecurity, illiteracy and lack of awareness.  

Solutions:

There were various solutions implemented such as creating an awareness programme among people and fortification of the staple food crop- Rice was taken up to reduce the occurrence of micronutrient malnutrition. The state has supplied fortified rice through the PDS and also implemented various government schemes like ICDS and MDM.  

Outcomes:

The major outcome of this programme is that the number of Anemic (Pregnant Women) reported in the Mandal was reduced and numbers of fortified rice manufacturers have increased by 25% ensuring constant availability for distribution. As of now, 7, 12,721 families and around 22 lakh individuals in the target district have benefited from this programme.

Challenges:

Initially, it was observed that there was a micronutrient failure in fortified rice, especially iron. Also, there were limited FRK manufacturers and limited availability of NABL accredited labs. The district has less number of rice mills and bringing more mills on board for self-sufficiency was a challenging task for the successful implementation of this project.

Innovations:

Innovation in food fortification is a proven, simple, scalable and cost effective strategy to address micronutrient deficiency. The most important thing is fortified rice doesn’t require any changes in eating patterns or food habits of people and it is absolutely safe and has no side effects.

Opportunities:

There is a good opportunity to expand this programme in the whole district and cover every person of the district with the help of other departments like ICDS and Health department.

For more information, please contact:
Ms A Surya Kumari, District Collector and Magistrate at jchvzm@gmail.com

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