Gujarat Roller Flour Millers' Association (GRFMA) has tied up with USA based Food Fortification Initiative (FFI) to improve fortification in wheat flour. GRFMA on Saturday re-launched its flour fortification programme in Gujarat.
"Many mills fortified flour in their units but still there has to be done lots of in this area. To understand our responsibility towards society, we have decided to join hand with FFI which is already active in fortification", said Ramavtar Agarwal, president of GRFMA.
Gujarat was the first state in India who started flour fortification program in 2005. Blood test study conducted on sportspersons from Sports Authority of Gujarat for one year in 2005 -06 depicted highly encouraging results in the increase in haemoglobin levels after consuming fortified wheat flour.
At the start of the study, 100 per cent female and 80 per cent male sportspersons were found to be anemic while after consumption of fortified wheat flour for six months, 80 per cent females and 100 per cent male sportspersons got rid off their anemic condition. Another similar study done by ICDS Department at Block Daskroi, Ahmedabad in 2006-07 also confirmed these benefits of fortified wheat flour.
Subrata Dutta, India co-ordinator, Food Fortification Initiative, USA said "At a time when Gujarat is excelling in all respects be it development or infrastructure, the basic health amenities are often ignored. So, GRFMA in association with FFI wants to re-launch the flour fortification scheme in Gujarat thereby providing nutritional benefits to the citizens."
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) had flayed the Gujarat government for discontinuing the "Antyodaya Anna Yojana" (AAY) that supplied fortified wheat flour for overcoming micro-nutrient deficiencies in a state that has a poor malnutrition record, especially among children.
There are over 80 flour mills in Gujarat and production capacity of the state is nearly 150,000 tonnes per month. Presently, fortified flour production is about 70,000 tonnes per month.
John Fiedler and Keith Lividini, affiliated with Harvest Plus- International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC, conducted study inGujarat and stated that fortified Wheat Flour consumption effectively eliminated micro-nutrients deficiency. The study also says that as per WHO criterion, wheat flour fortification program is highly cost-effective.
