Economic Reporter :
Experts called for taking up necessary steps for launching rice fortification with six micronutrients in the country, as it would improve the productivity as well as overall health status of our people.
The price of fortified rice would be slightly higher than normal rice, the nutrient value addition and the health benefit far outweighs the cost. Scaling up rice fortification would alleviate micronutrient deficiencies among vulnerable people in the country, they said.
Bengali culture is characterized by consumption of rice, and 70 percent of the energy requirement of Bangladeshis comes from rice. However, current milling process of rice destroy all the micronutrient that is present in the unpolished rice, they said.
“The traditional rice mills have become almost obsolete, hence the poorest of the poor are only consuming carbohydrate through the rice and the rest of essential micronutrient remains deficient”.
The micronutrient deficiencies are leading to high disease burden and losses productivity, which translates into economic burden due to high healthcare cost and absenteeism from work and education institutions, they said.
Experts called for taking up necessary steps for launching rice fortification with six micronutrients in the country, as it would improve the productivity as well as overall health status of our people.
The price of fortified rice would be slightly higher than normal rice, the nutrient value addition and the health benefit far outweighs the cost. Scaling up rice fortification would alleviate micronutrient deficiencies among vulnerable people in the country, they said.
Bengali culture is characterized by consumption of rice, and 70 percent of the energy requirement of Bangladeshis comes from rice. However, current milling process of rice destroy all the micronutrient that is present in the unpolished rice, they said.
“The traditional rice mills have become almost obsolete, hence the poorest of the poor are only consuming carbohydrate through the rice and the rest of essential micronutrient remains deficient”.
The micronutrient deficiencies are leading to high disease burden and losses productivity, which translates into economic burden due to high healthcare cost and absenteeism from work and education institutions, they said.
