Linking Agriculture and Nutrition: An Ex-ante Analysis of Zinc Biofortification of Rice in India

Abstract

Biofortification has been recognized as a promising option to combat the micronutrient deficiencies, including zinc deficiency. Rice is the staple food crop in India, but, the daily zinc requirement cannot be achieved through typical rice-based vegetarian diet. ICAR-IIRR has developed the high zinc-content rice variety, 'DRR Dhan 45', with overall mean zinc content of 23.66 ppm in polished rice. This study has measured the potential impact of zinc-biofortified rice using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) saved based on the counterfactual approach, estimating the impact as the difference in the number of DALYs attributable to zinc deficiency before and after the introduction of the zinc-biofortified rice. The current zinc-content of the popular rice varieties is about 13 ppm and the potential zinc content of the biofortified rice is 23-24 ppm with a potential increase of 80 per cent. The calculated annual burden of zinc deficiency in India in 2011 is 1.3 million DALYs lost and with biofortified rice this burden could be lowered up to 35 per cent. The study has revealed that the cost of saving one healthy life year through zinc biofortification of rice costs US$ 20 under pessimistic scenario and US$ 3 under optimistic scenario, proving the cost-effectiveness of the intervention.

Zinc Biofortified Rice Varieties: Challenges, Possibilities, and Progress in India

“…Every year 1.31 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) are lost in India because of zinc malnutrition. An ex-ante analysis of zinc biofortification of rice in India revealed that of the 1.31 million DALYs lost, 0.142 and 0.456 million DALYs could be saved in pessimistic and optimistic assumptions, if zinc-biofortified rice is introduced (9).…”

Optimization of Protein Content and Dietary Fibre in a Composite Flour Blend Containing Rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i>), Sorghum [<i>Sorghum bicolor</i> (L.) Moench] and Bamboo (<i>Yushania alpine</i>) Shoots

“…Considering that rice is a major staple food for many communities around the world, over reliance on in as a food predisposes the respective consumers to malnutrition. According to [28] [31]. Therefore, the call to enrich rice based food products is vindicated.…”

Biofortification in Ethiopia: Opportunities and Challenges

“…2,10 Biofortification interventions cost considerably less than the costs of nutritional interventions set by international institutions, and, relative to other nutritional interventions, biofortification is the best in terms of cost-effectiveness. [27][28][29][30][31] In addition, biofortification does not need regular monitoring because the seeds fortify themselves. This added advantage is important not only from a cost-saving aspect but also because it guarantees food safety, which is important in countries like Ethiopia where food adulteration is becoming a concern.…”