Vitamin-A enhanced sugar for BPL families through PDS soon

Ashok B Sharma

New Delhi, Jan 6: The Government is planning to distribute subsidised sugar fortified with vitamin A to families living below the poverty line (BPL) through the public distribution system (PDS) after the efficacy trail reports are available shortly.

The National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) has already prepared an ideal mix for fortification of sugar. Fortified sugar will be costlier by 55 paise per kg or Rs 55 per tonne.

The estimated cost of sugar fortification is likely to be reduced, once vitamin A is manufactured and supplied on a commercial basis to sugar units.

The existing vitamin A manufacturers have already assured that they are ready to manufacture palmitate type 250 CWS vitamin A once sugar fortification takes off significantly in the country.

In December 2000, NFCSF in collabaration with the NGO, Micronutrient Initiative (MI) had initiated a pilot fortification project with Rs 43.25 lakh financial assistance from the Sugar Development Fund (SDF) at Shirpur Shetkari Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd in Dhule district in Maharashtra. MI had contributed logistic and financial support for setting up the plant, for facilitating study of sugar fortification in Guatemala and for laboratory tests conducted by the Vasantdada Sugar Institute. NFCSF had designed the plant and coordinated the production of fortified sugar.

The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) is now carrying out the efficacy trials of fortified sugar with financial assistance from MI. NIN is expected to submit its report to the Government shortly after which the Government is likely to consider distribution of fortied sugar to BPL families through PDS. Earlier realising the need to fortify sugar with vitamin A, the Union Ministry of Comsumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution constituted a working group for the purpose headed by the joint secretary (food).

The level of fortification of sugar is normally based on per capita consumption of sugar. In Guatemala sugar is fortified with vitamin A at a level of 10 ug/kg.

The per capita sugar consumption in Guatemala is about 34 kg per annum as against 14.2 kg per capita per year in India. In this context the NFCSF pilot study has proposed that the level of fortification in India should be around 15 ug/kg, as this will also have an inbuilt margin of reduction of vitamin A level in fortified sugar during long storage.

According to experts minimum requirement per day of vitamin A for children within six years is 400 iu/gm retinol, that for women is 500 iu/gm retinol, that for men is 600 iu/gm retinol and that for pregnant mothers is 600 iu/gm retinol.

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient which plays an important role in vision, embryos genesis, normal reproduction and immune competence. World- over 5 to 10 million children develop Xerophthalmia each year leading to blindness not only in children but in older people.

Recent studies have shown that beta carotine from various foods which forms two molecules of vitamin A is not uniformly absorbed by the human body Absorption rate varies from 6 to 0.1 per cent. Hence it would be beneficial to supplement diet with fortified food.

Recent study made by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that due to deficiency of vitamin A, child mortality has increased in south India by 40 per cent and in central India by 10 per cent. About 30 per cent of the population do not consume vitamin A through rich food.