India is a leading rice producing country, with 22 percent of the total global rice production and 65% of India’s population consumes rice on a daily basis- the per capita rice consumption in India is 6.8 kilogram per month. Rice is therefore a large source of calories and core component of agriculture and nutrition in most of India though low in micronutrients. Milling of rice removes the fat and micronutrient rich bran layers to produce the commonly consumed starch white rice while polishing further removes 75-90% of vit. B1, vit. B6, vit. E and Niacin. Fortifying rice provides an opportunity to add back the lost micronutrients but to also add others such as iron, zinc, folic acid, vit. B12 and vit. A.
