Rice fortification can solve procurement challenges

Rice has been a staple food ever since the man has shifted to farming from being a hunter-gatherer. Rice, which has high content of carbohydrate, has been a rich source of energy for the people who toiled in the farms and allied fields. This was the era when the biosphere was rich in nutrition and a clean environment. Besides providing the required energy, the rice was rich in micronutrients. The paddy was raised in the nutrient-rich soil. The crude processing of paddy to extract rice ensured that the nutrients were intact with the grain. This is one of the main reasons that our forefathers were healthier than the generations followed.

Rice, still being the staple food for people in most parts of India, especially southern states, has high demand for its varieties that are grown in different geographical zones. Following a famine that shook the nation has seen the Green Revolution, which brought in tremendous changes in the agricultural practices. This has brought in global accolades. The developing countries looked towards India for transfer of technologies in rice growing. South-east Asian countries, African countries and the Philippines are a few to mention which look out to India for knowledge support.

There are various variants of rice like sona masoori, basmati, parboiled rice and so on are very popular in the India market. Promotion of growing rice among farmers by providing incentives, fertilisers, scientific support in identifying rice varieties depending on the nature of soil has increased rice production manifold.

Markets insist that rice be heavily polished to get a high value. The market-driven crop has its own drawbacks. It's poor in nutritive value. Over a period, the staple food has been losing its nutrient value during the process of milling, cleaning, washing, polishing, storage and cooking. Experts attribute the rising graph of diabetes to consumption of rice, which is rich in carbohydrates and low in micronutrients. White rice is known to have a high glycemic index and is low in fibre and micronutrients. A cup of white rice has 53.4 grams of carbohydrates.

When an individual consumes foods with carbohydrates, it breaks down into glucose and the body's blood sugar rises. If only we could go back in time when rice was rich in other nutrients, we could reverse the lifestyle diseases, which we are experiencing now.

One of the major findings identified by the WHO and the Niti Aayog was that about 60% of pre-school children and 50% of pregnant women and a quarter of men are anaemic. Iron deficiency in food directly contributes to anaemia and also lowers the IQ levels of the newborns and the children. This is one of the burning problems which the whole world is facing apart from India. Rice is also becoming much more important in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Telangana has become one of the major producers of rice in the recent past due to the active policy support and implementation of various schemes by the State government in form of path-breaking irrigation schemes like the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project which is tagged as one of the biggest irrigation projects in the world as it comprises about 20 reservoirs and is expected to irrigate 18.3 lakh acres of land. The area under cultivation of paddy/ rice has increased multi-fold though it still lacks in the yield due to the low ownership of acreage by farmers.

Parboiled rice also known as converted rice, is a partially precooked rice that has been common is Asian and African countries for several years. It is rich in calcium, fibre, potassium, and vitamins like B6 and it is a better source for diabetic patients as it contains low levels of starch. Parboiling happens when you soak, steam, and dry rice while it's still in its inedible outer husk. This turns the rice inside a slightly yellow hue. Telangana is one of the major producers of parboiled rice and it is shipped to other states like Kerala and other states. Parboiled rice is also used across other countries especially in processed food. However, concerns have been raised about the inorganic arsenic, which are common in all types of rice. It is advised to be taken in fewer quantities after proper rinsing of the grain. That leaves the quest for better rice which is rich in nutrition.

To address the malnutrition and anaemia in the country, the Central government has launched a scheme through the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) which has been running a "Centrally Sponsored Pilot Scheme on Fortification of Rice and its distribution through Public Distribution System and selected 15 aspirational districts across states for a period of three years from 2019-2020 and based on the outcome it will be implemented across the country in all districts to address the malnutrition in women and children.

The Central government has selected the fortification of rice to address this problem as it is proven across the globe and fortification helps in increasing the micronutrients status. Studies have shown that there is a reduction in anaemia, improved levels of Iron, Vitamin B12, Zinc and other micronutrients. In one of the studies, it has been proved that continuous consumption of iron fortified rice in children has improved physical endurance levels.

Deficiencies of micronutrients – vitamins and minerals are a prominent cause of stunted growth in children. They are also a leading cause of malnourishment and long-term health impairment among diverse sections of India's population. These deficiencies are detrimental to the country's economic productivity and industrial efficiency.

Food fortification can be one of the most effective ways to solve this issue of nutritional deficiency. According to the Copenhagen Consensus, fortifying food items with micronutrients is among the most important global development priorities.

In this context, easily available food items can be fortified with vitamins and minerals to address the challenge of nutritional deficiency in India. For a long, rice has been the mainstay of India's diet. Given that fact, theories have been suggested that the produce of rice in India could be fortified with micronutrients to address the gap in its nutritional requirements. The idea of fortifying rice is often likened to how salt is fortified with Iodine across the country.

The collective goal of reducing the vitamin and mineral deficiency (VMD) in India serves as a promising opportunity to fortify rice in order to address the country's nutritional requirements. This article discusses the prospect of fortifying rice and rice extrusion to tide over the challenge of nutritional deficiencies among vast sections of India's population.

The Context

As we delve into the prospect of fortifying rice to overcome the nutritional challenges of the Indian population, we must remember that unstable and unaffordable prices of food are driving susceptible people into greater poverty and malnourishment.

Poor families impacted by high food prices have been known to do away with richly nutritious food such as fish, meat, fruits and vegetables, dairy items, etc. due to their unaffordability.

Instead, they have been known to move to food items that are high in calorific value as they tend to be cheaper than the previously cited food sources. Note that these food items are only high in calorific value but low in terms of nutritional value. This trend further magnifies the pressing issue of micronutrient deficiency.

The problem of VMD is further compounded when humongous quantities of food items that are stored in warehouses/ godowns go waste due to a glut in their supply but a lack of demand in the market. One such food item that has excess availability in godowns but is not as much consumed is parboiled rice.

Parboiled rice is partly boiled in the husk. Parboiling augments the nutritional value of the rice while also altering its texture. Though very nutritious, parboiled rice is not pleasant to taste and appearance. This rice is largely consumed by low-to-middle income countries (LMIC).

It is to be noted that India exports parboiled rice at $364 to $369 per metric tonne. The price at which the country exports parboiled rice is not economically viable as compared to the other varieties of rice that it exports. Therefore, a case can be made here to adopt the extrusion technology which is popular in countries like China to utilise the excessively available parboiled rice, fortify it before making it available in retail markets. This will be a good opportunity to make use of excessively available parboiled rice for commercial use so that India's nutritional needs can be met and parboiled rice can be made economically viable in the Indian markets.

Comprehensive fortification of rice involves making it replete with a wide variety of micronutrients such as Iron, Zinc, Magnesium and Calcium. So, all the essential micronutrients need to be identified and added to commercial rice in a balanced manner so that it becomes comprehensively fortified.

There are various methods to fortify commercial rice. However, the most effective method by far is "extrusion processing."

The global food extrusion market is estimated to be valued at USD 73.1 billion in 2021. It is projected to reach USD 99.7 billion by 2026, recording a CAGR of 6.4% during the forecast period. Innovative and flexibly designed processing and packaging systems are the prerequisites for manufacturers to keep pace with the trends in the food industry that may arise from operation cost and consumer spending. Advanced automated food processing equipment enables high-volume production of better-quality products with a longer shelf life.

The rising per capita income and the increasing trend of snacking between meals are also fuelling the demand for extruded product types. Consumer preferences in emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil, and the Middle East have gradually transitioned from traditional homemade breakfasts and snacking meals to ready-to-eat products over the last couple of decades.

In Asia people eat about 150 kg of rice annually. But this rice has been milled, and milling causes most of the valuable micronutrients in rice kernels to be lost. Fortifying rice is not a straightforward process. Adding micronutrients is not the problem – the difficulty is making them stay where they are needed, even when the rice is soaked and rinsed prior to cooking as it is done in India.

Various methods/ techniques that can be used to make commercial rice highly nutritive.

Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are mixed with commercial rice to fortify it. This fortification of the commercial rice with vitamins and minerals could help the Indian population meet its nutritional requirements. In the past, international financial institutions such as the World Bank and IMF have recommended rice fortification to alleviate hunger and nutritional deficiencies for people across the world.

Since rice is a staple food in India, its fortification with vitamins and minerals can be a very feasible solution to address the nutritional deficiencies in its populations. Fortified rice kernels are shown to possess enhanced nutritional and taste characteristics which do not deplete significantly on washing and cooking. The benefit of fortified rice is that it can be afforded even by the poor and their nutritional requirements can be significantly fulfilled.

(Team Hans in Association with WTC)

(The concluding part will appear tomorrow)