Bio-fortification in India: economics of micronutrient enrichment

Micronutrient deficiency is an all-pervasive nutritional problem in developing countries, resulting in impaired physical activity and cognitive under-development. An estimated 800 million people in developing countries are undernourished. Yet, except for iodized salt, coverage and success of this activity in developing countries is limited and subjected to criticisms in relation with effectiveness and economic viability. Biofortification, that is, breeding crops for higher micronutrient content, can be regarded as solution to this problem. This paper studies coverage and economic impact of biofortification in India. Data on household consumption pattern is retrieved from NSS 68^th round survey on household consumption expenditure. The results show that, there is significant amount of gain in terms of monetary value to individual consumer by consuming micronutrients fortified cereals. Biofortification of major two micronutrient i.e. Zn (Zinc) and Fe (Iron) to cereals will also halve the cost of Zn and Fe availability to consumer. Taking consideration of health cost, the benefit of biofortification is quantified based on disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The disease burden of micronutrient malnutrition is expressed in the number of DALYs lost which is calculated with and without bio-fortification, so that the difference is the reduction in the disease burden through bio-fortification, expressed in the number of DALYs saved. Policies to support cross-sectoral implementation at all levels, along with adoption by each stakeholder will contribute to making bio-fortification a cost-effective investment for the solution of micronutrient deficiency.