Centre discontinues rice fortification over nutrient stability concerns

In a significant development, the Centre has decided to “temporarily” discontinue rice fortification under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other allied welfare schemes, following a comprehensive review of its implementation and concerns over nutrient stability during prolonged storage.

 

The process of fortification will remain suspended until a more effective mechanism for delivery of nutrients to beneficiaries is identified, an official statement said.

 

The statement added that the decision to discontinue the ambitious scheme was taken after a government-mandated study by the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur assessed the shelf life of fortified rice kernels (FRK) and fortified rice (FR) under actual storage conditions across diverse agro-climatic zones.

   

The report found that moisture content, storage conditions, temperature, relative humidity and packaging material critically influence the stability of fortified rice.

 

Over time, micronutrient levels were found to decline, particularly during prolonged storage and routine handling.

 

According to the findings, fortified rice stocks are susceptible to micronutrient degradation, effectively shortening their shelf life and limiting the intended nutritional outcomes.

 

This assumes significance as rice in the central pool is often stored for two to three years, given procurement volumes and annual offtake patterns.

 

Against an annual allocation of 37.2 million tonnes of rice under PMGKAY and other welfare schemes, total availability in the central pool is projected at 67.4 million tonnes. This includes receipts due from the kharif marketing season (KMS) of 2025–26 that started from October.

 

The gap between allocation and availability implies extended storage cycles, exacerbating the risk of nutrient loss in fortified rice.

 

The statement said in view of these operational realities, the government has decided to pause the fortification process until a more robust and effective nutrient delivery mechanism is developed and operationalised.

 

The government clarified in the statement that the temporary discontinuation will not result in any reduction in foodgrain entitlements and will not affect operations under the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) or the Mid-Day Meal Scheme. Distribution under these schemes will continue as per existing norms.

 

The statement said that as a transitional measure for KMS 2025–26 (kharif crop) and pending receipts from KMS 2024–25, states and Union Territories have been given flexibility to supply either fortified or non-fortified rice at their discretion, based on logistical and operational considerations.

 

However, the sudden decision to stop rice fortification has thrown the milling industry into disarray. “People who purchased raw materials for fortification like folic acid, broken rice and premixes are facing huge losses. Furthermore, those who have already produced fortified rice kernels (FRK) for blending cannot sell the fortified rice or its raw material on the open market,” Prem Goyal, president, Akhil Bharatiya Sheller Sangh, told Business Standard. He said that instead of suddenly stopping the process, the central government should have discontinued it starting with the next crop season, 2026–27.

 

The central government had rolled out rice fortification across welfare schemes to address micronutrient deficiencies such as anaemia and malnutrition among vulnerable populations. Fortified rice is produced by blending fortified rice kernels with regular rice.

 

The government’s aim was to distribute fortified rice in a phased manner through all central government schemes by 2024, as announced by the Prime Minister in his address on the 75th Independence Day, to address the issue of malnutrition among the poor.

 

The first phase was started in October 2021, under which fortified rice was supplied through Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman–PM Poshan (erstwhile Mid-Day Meal Scheme).

 

Fortified rice is made as per the standards fixed by the food regulator FSSAI, which has prescribed blending rice with three micronutrients — iron, folic acid and vitamin B12.