Food ministry to ask FSSAI to revisit fortification labelling norms

Fortified rice is being distributed through the public distribution system across the country as a measure to check and eliminate chronic anemia among large sections of the population

The food ministry is planning to ask the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to revisit its advisory on labelling of bags containing fortified rice being harmful for people with sickle cell anemia and thalassemia major in light of the recent new evidence.

Addressing a press conference, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra on Tuesday said the latest reports and studies showed that the amount of iron that goes into the diet through the PDS system was not harmful even for people with sickle cell anemia or thalassemia major. “Because of this, we are in process of urging the FSSAI to revisit its package labelling guidelines for rice PDS bags on the same,” he said.

Fortified rice is being distributed through a public distribution system as a measure to check and eliminate chronic anemia among large sections of the population.

The Centre plans to fully universalise PDS rice fortification by March 2024, but the food secretary said the target would be reached much before the designated deadline.

“We have around 25 million tonnes of rice in the central pool, of which just around 1.2 mt is non-fortified,” said Food Corporation of India Chairman Ashok Meena, who was also present in the press conference.

Meanwhile, Chopra asserted that all misgivings about rice fortification were wrong as evidence showed that it was not harmful for human health.

“Through fortified PDS rice, only 6-7 mg per person per day iron is consumed while the body can tolerate up to 40-45 mg per day of iron consumption,” Chopra said.

He said bio-fortification, which is being attempted by agriculture institutes, is good but it is time-consuming while rice fortification could deliver immediate results.

A representative of the World Food Programme (WFP), who took part in the press conference, said fortified food was being fed in almost 90 countries across the world.

‘No plan now to restrict exports of par-boiled rice’

The central government on Tuesday said it had no immediate proposal to restrict exports of par-boiled non-basmati rice.

It has allocated an additional quota of 200,000 tonnes of sugar for sale in August, over and above 2.35 mt already sent to mills, as part of its efforts to boost domestic supply and keep prices under check in the festive season.

On July 20, the Centre banned exports of non-basmati white rice to boost domestic supply and keep retail prices under check during the upcoming festive season. In September last year, exports of broken rice were prohibited.

According to commerce ministry data, India’s total exports of basmati rice stood at $4.8 billion in 2022-23, while it was at 4.5 mt in volume terms.

Similarly, exports of non-basmati stood at $6.36 billion in the last financial year. In volume terms, it was 17.7 mt.

“Non-basmati white rice constitutes about 25 per cent of total rice exported from the country. The prohibition on export of non-basmati white rice will lead to lowering of prices for the consumers in the country,” the ministry had said last month.

The ministry had then asserted that “there is no change in export policy of non-basmati rice (par-boiled rice) and basmati rice, which forms the bulk of rice exports”.

OMCs revise ethanol price for maize, damaged grains
 

Oil-marketing companies (OMCs) have further raised the procurement price of ethanol made from damaged foodgrain and maize by Rs 3.71 per litre, taking the total procurement price to Rs 8.46 per litre for damaged grain and Rs 9.72 per litre for maize for the remaining period of 2022-23 supply year that ends in October. 
 

This final price includes the interim relief announced on August 7.  The additional incentive has been announced in view of the continuing deadlock over supply of surplus Food Corporation of India rice for ethanol blending that has threatened to jeopardise the total programme.