Only fortified rice will be supplied under govt schemes from 2024 onwards: FCI

Rajouri, Dec 3: Senior officers of Food Corporation of India (FCI) today said that the fortified rice (FRK) will replace normal rice in all government schemes by 2024. They added that plastic rice is just a myth as it is a modified rice mixed with vitamin B12, folic acid and iron.

The officers were talking to media persons at Rajouri FCI depot. The officers were part of a high level team of FCI that visited Rajouri.

They included General Manager Food Corporation of India J&K region, Kaushik Das, Deputy General Manager P Lokanandam and Assistant General Manager Satya Parkash Panda.

Assistant General Manager of FCI in Jammu and Kashmir region, Satya Prakash Panda said that there is a myth among masses for supply and sale of plastic rice in the market as well as on depots.

"It is cleared that the talks of plastic rice are just myth as it is not plastic rice but a modified rice called Fortified Rice (FRK)," Panda said.

He added that FRK is prepared by mixing normal rice with necessary folic acid, vitamin B12 and iron which are important for a man's health especially of children and pregnant women.

" Aim to introduce FRK is to overcome the shortage of Vit B12, Folic Acid and Iron among people as shortage of these basic health supplements cause several issues for a man especially for pregnant women,” Panda added.

He further informed that FRK will replace all other forms of rice being supplied under different government schemes and only FRK will be made available under government schemes from 2024 onwards. 6.68 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of FRK rice were distributed under NFSA, MDM, and other welfare schemes in 2021-22 and 2022-23 to combat malnutrition, he added.

General Manager Food Corporation of India J&K region, Kaushik Das on the other hand informed that The Food Corporation of India (FCI), J&K region, is implementing Central Government schemes for people's welfare that include Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), Mid-Day Meal (MDM), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).

He informed that FCI procures wheat, rice, and paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP) through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and foodgrains adhere to uniform specifications and are stored in FCI godowns under quality control. They are provided to state governments for the Public Distribution System (PDS) to ensure national food security.

The officer also informed that FCI has now gone for sale of wheat and rice through the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) for 2023.

"The sale of wheat and rice through OMSS (D) presents an opportunity for various stakeholders, including traders, wholesalers, and retailers, to procure grains directly from FCI," he said adding that under OMSS(D), J&K region has floated the 89,700 MT of wheat out of which 82,940 MT has been allotted and in respect of Rice 71,400 MT has been floated out of which 1640 MT has been allotted.