Telangana Minister Uttam Unveils KCP Nutri Poshan Fortified Rice, First Such Product in Telugu States
Hyderabad, June 29 (TNT): Telangana Irrigation, Command Area Development and Food & Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday unveiled KCP Nutri Poshan, a fortified rice range enriched with eight essential micronutrients, the first such product to be launched in the Telugu States.
The fortified rice, available in Kolam, HMT and Sona Masoori varieties, contains eight essential micronutrients—Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), Vitamin B9 (Folate and Folic Acid), Vitamin B12, Iron and Zinc.
Launching the product at a workshop titled “Unlocking Market Potential: Advancing Fortified Rice in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh”, the Minister said the product would enable consumers to improve their nutritional intake without changing their daily food habits.
The workshop was organised by Millers for Nutrition, powered by TechnoServe, in collaboration with KCP Nutrritious Pvt. Ltd., and attended by rice millers, food industry representatives, nutrition experts, policymakers and food fortification stakeholders.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana produces nearly 300 lakh metric tonnes of rice annually during the Kharif and Rabi seasons, while the state’s annual consumption is only about 36 lakh metric tonnes.
“We consume barely one-tenth of the rice we produce. Therefore, exports represent the next major growth opportunity for Telangana’s rice industry. The State Government is preparing a dedicated policy to facilitate rice exports and support rice millers in accessing national and international markets,” he said.
The Minister said Telangana had already begun exporting rice to countries such as the Philippines and reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting the rice milling industry.
Describing KCP Nutri Poshan as the first fortified multi-micronutrient rice product in the Telugu States, he said the initiative could help address micronutrient deficiencies while retaining the taste and cooking characteristics of conventional rice.
Speaking on the occasion, Monojit Indra, Senior Practice Leader at TechnoServe and Programme Leader for Millers for Nutrition Asia, said food fortification offered a practical and scalable solution to improving nutrition through staple foods consumed every day.
He said the Millers for Nutrition initiative was working with industry stakeholders to strengthen fortification practices, improve product quality and expand access to fortified staple foods.
KCP Nutrritious Chief Executive Officer Srree Vaishnavvi O said the company aimed to make nutrition simple and accessible by enabling families to meet their daily nutritional requirements without changing their eating habits or cooking methods.
Abhishek Shukla, Country Programme Manager, Millers for Nutrition India at TechnoServe, said increasing consumer awareness and retail availability of fortified staple foods would play a key role in addressing nutritional deficiencies.
KCP Nutrritious said KCP Nutri Poshan would initially be marketed in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh through traditional retail outlets, modern trade, e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms, supported by consumer awareness campaigns highlighting the benefits of food fortification.
The workshop concluded with technical sessions and a panel discussion featuring experts from the nutrition, food processing and public health sectors.
TNT TS
