Rice fortification has been described as an effective way of tacking malnutrition in the country.
In his welcome remarks, the commissioner for information and internal affairs, Baba Halilu Dantiye said that the state government is ever ready to inform the general public on the fortified rice in the state.
Representing the commissioner director public enlightenment ministry of information Idris zaura said that the issue of combating malnutrition Should be taken into serious consideration in other to save the lives of under five children and pregnant mothers.
He appreciated the effort of Technoserve in bringing on board various media houses in the state to sensitize the public on the importance of eating fortified rice.
On his part, the project manager of Technoserve Nigeria Mr Seun Elere, said the event on Promoting Rice Fortification in Nigeria (PRiFN), organized by Technoserve Nigeria in collaboration with the World Food Program for journalists and nutrition officers in Kano.
“we rely on the media personnel for you to use your channel to promote the consumption of Fortified rice, any variety of rice can be fortified and is safe for consumption as we also want the message to reach nook and crannies of the state because we know people who are in the community are more vulnerable to malnutrition so we want the rural community to have a access to fortified rice when it becomes available to the open market he stressed”.
Mr. Elere maintained that the addition of essential vitamins and minerals to the rice even during the milling process the micronutrients will still restore its nutritional value.
He added that the PRiFN program was launched in 2021 after the federal government has approved the fortification of rice in 2020.
Similarly, a food fortification expert with the World Food Program in Nigeria, Ekene Onyeagba, highlighted the agenda of the WFP for achieving better health, education and nutrition.
“we can encourage healthy nutritious foods by adding essential vitamins and minerals that is needed for our under five children and adolescent girls in other to grow healthy, he emphasized”.
Journalists from various media outfits in Kano attended the event, expressed their commitments to create awareness among the public on consumption of fortified rice in the state.
