Ghaziabad: In a bid to ensure nutritional security and to fight malnutrition, the government has decided to scale up the distribution of fortified rice from April this year, the objective of which is to address the problems of anemia and micro-nutrient deficiency in the country.

In the fortification of rice, rice is prepared by grinding powder and mixed with nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B12, folic acid, iron and zinc etc. This mixture can be reshaped into the shape of rice, which is called a ‘fortified rice kernel’.

This fortified rice kernel is mixed with normal rice in the ratio of 1: 99 and is then released for sale under the ‘Public Distribution System’.

About 65 percent of India’s population consumes rice as a staple food, hence several measures are being taken to increase the availability of fortified rice kernel (FRK).

Vasu Naren, the CEO of Sona Machinery Pvt. Ltd. said, “Sona Machinery, being in the line of rice-milling machinery, supports the crucial step of the government to scale up the distribution of Fortified rice. Similarly, there’s an urgent need to provide other fortified food products widely available too including milk, cooking oil, etc., as it is consumed largely in India. This is a systematic way to provide one’s family immunity-building nutrients for the long term and may help foster resistance against infections”.

He further added, “We do not currently have the required machinery but we are planning to diversify the fortified rice machinery from this year’s paddy season to meet the growing demand for nutritional value”.

1995 incepted Sona Machinery Pvt. Ltd. is a leading manufacturer, exporter and supplier of diversified agro-processing machinery specializing in rice milling machinery. Sona Machinery has a 10000 sq. meter of a full-fledged manufacturing plant in their factory at Ghaziabad, UP where their products are manufactured.

State-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) has made it mandatory for the rice millers in all states to install blending infrastructure for the production of fortified rice.