Stakeholders advocate rice fortification to combat anaemia

Medical stakeholders have said that the fortification of rice would help deliver essential micronutrients to Nigerians.

They noted this at an event in Lagos on Tuesday themed “High-Level Stakeholders Roundtable on Rice Fortification”.

The Project Coordinator of Rice Fortification, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Seun Elere, said anaemia had a high impact on pregnancy as it placed women at risk of maternal mortality.

He said, “According to the National Demographics and Health Survey of 2018, 68 per cent of under-5 children are anaemic, 58 per cent of women of reproductive age and 61 per cent of our pregnant women are anaemic.

“The fortification of rice with iron, folic acid, and B12 will help deliver these very essential micronutrients to a good number of our population, especially those in rural communities, to reduce the prevalence of anaemia.”

According to Elere, anaemia also increases the risks for prenatal mortality, premature birth, and low birth weight.

He added, “Deficiency in iron impacts negatively on the production of red blood cells, which help in oxygen circulation in the body. Women and adolescent girls are at higher risk of iron deficiency due to the monthly menstrual flows, and insufficient intake of iron.”

In the same vein, the Deputy Consul General of the Netherlands in Lagos, Ms Leonie van der Stijl, said the consumption of rice devoid of fortified nutrients offered limited nutritional value.

According to Stijl, although unfortified rice may provide satiety, it does not effectively contribute to one’s overall health.

She said, “For healthy people in Nigeria, it is important that our bodies are strong and the food we put in our mouth is like the fuel we put in our body.

“Fighting anaemia, for example, for women, we lose blood every month; also we need to be strong to carry babies as well. Hence, the necessity of fortifying rice with necessary nutrients to prevent anemia.”

A director at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr John Uruakpa, said over 90 per cent of families consume rice, and the rice was chosen to do the fortification work.

He said, “The Federal Government wants to use the fortification of rice to solve the issue of public health of anaemia due to iron deficiency in women of reproductive age, pregnant women, and also generally for the citizens.”

In 2021, the Federal Government of Nigeria sanctioned the inclusion of supplements for food fortification on the approved list, aiming to tackle the growing issues of micronutrient deficiency in Nigeria.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and the United Nations World Food Programme extended essential assistance to the FGN via the Federal Ministry of Health to enhance the adoption and expansion of rice fortification initiatives in Nigeria.

This collaboration with the Ministry of Health was facilitated through the Promoting Rice Fortification in Nigeria project.

Earlier, HortiNigeria, a Dutch-Funded programme, alongside Greenport Nigeria, a cluster of Dutch and Nigerian companies, and an organisation in Nigeria’s agricultural landscape, unveiled a partnership to redefine Nigeria’s horticulture sector through the introduction of innovative solutions to bolster the growth of agribusiness in Nigeria.