Fortified rice can reduce anaemia, zinc deficiency Finds study
A new study has shown that consuming fortified rice can significantly reduce anaemia and zinc deficiencies among the poorest women in Bangladesh, said a press release of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) yesterday.
Conducted by the research centre of icddr,b on behalf of WFP, the study measured the impact of providing rice enriched with micronutrients to women participating in the Government's Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) programme.
The study also found that fortified rice, when combined with training and cash grants for investment, can also contribute to women's empowerment.
It also determined that the prevalence of anaemia dropped by 4.8 percent and zinc deficiency reduced by 6 percent among women consuming fortified rice.
This is the first time that the use of fortified rice in a government safety net programme has been tested in Bangladesh.
The VGD programme reaches more than one million ultra-poor women and their families, totalling about five million people.
The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs has allocated more than US$1 million to distribute fortified rice in 35 upazilas covered by the VGD progra-mme in the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
The Scaling-up Rice Fortification Initiative is supported by the embassy of Netherlands and implemented by various government agencies in collaboration with WFP.
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