The Lagos State government has trained rice millers and regulatory officials on rice fortification, as part of efforts to improve the nutritional value of rice and address micronutrient deficiencies among Nigerians.

The training, organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, was held at the Lagos Rice Mill, Imota, where participants were taken through the production, blending, quality control and regulatory processes involved in fortified rice production.

Speaking at the training, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Systems, Dr OluwarotimiFashola, said the initiative was aimed at expanding knowledge and building capacity within the rice value chain.
Fashola said rice was selected as a vehicle for fortification because of its widespread consumption, particularly among Nigeria’s growing population.

He said: “The issue of rice fortification came about from asking, what is the singular food product that best reaches everybody, from the youngest to the oldest? The answer is rice.”

According to him, fortified rice is intended to provide essential micronutrients, including folic acid, iron and vitamin B12, while the broader formulation includes seven approved micronutrients.

He said Lagos was taking the lead in the Southwest, noting that only a limited number of rice mills across the country currently had the capacity for rice fortification.

Fashola explained that the fortified rice initiative would initially be introduced gradually, with the government seeking to make the product available to secondary schools with boarding facilities, particularly to reach the teenage population.

He, however, clarified that fortified rice would not replace conventional rice, saying consumers would continue to have the option of purchasing unfortified rice.

The Special Adviser also disclosed that the Lagos Rice Mill was working towards introducing Eko Fortified Rice into the open market after completing the necessary regulatory processes.

He said the product was about 80 to 90 per cent through the required certification processes by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), adding that a larger public launch was expected once the processes were concluded.

Earlier, Fashola said the Lagos Rice Mill had officially added Eko Fortified Rice to its product offering, alongsideEko Rice and Eko Rice Classic.

He disclosed that the fortified rice facility was installed in December 2025 through the support of development partners, including Food Solutions, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and DSM.

Fasholastressed that producing fortified rice to the required standard was a collective responsibility involving millers, regulators, government, development partners and laboratories.

Also speaking, the Director and Head of the Food and Agriculture Group, Standards Development SON)Mrs Nene MaudlineObianwu, explained that standards were central to ensuring the quality and credibility of fortified rice.

Obianwu said SON had developed a Code of Practice to guide manufacturers in producing fortified rice and had also developed specifications for Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK).

She explained that the FRK, which contains the required micronutrients, is blended with milled rice at a ratio of one part FRK to 100 parts rice.

During the practical session, participants were shown how the fortified rice kernels are produced and blended with regular rice after the milling process.

A project manager identified as James explained that the fortified rice kernels are made primarily from rice flour produced from broken rice and contain seven approved micronutrients including, zinc, iron, folic acid, vitamin B12,
vitamin B1, vitamin B3 and vitamin B6.

He said the blending equipment was calibrated to discharge the fortified kernels at a one per cent ratio relative to the quantity of regular rice being processed.

Participants were also taken through the mill’s production line, where the blending machine, moisture control system, metal detector and destoner were identified as critical control points.

The head of quality at the mill, MrWidom, explained that the fortified rice kernels and non-fortified rice are held in separate bunkers before being discharged into a scale and subsequently into the blender.

He said samples are taken after blending for analysis to determine whether the quantity of fortified rice kernels falls within the required range of 0.9 to 1.1 per cent.

The training also highlighted the role of regulatory agencies in maintaining quality and protecting consumers. Officials explained that SON and NAFDAC would be involved in inspections and enforcement to ensure that products that fail to meet the required specifications do not remain in the market.

The Deputy Director and Head of Micronutrient Deficiency Control at the Federal Ministry of Health, Pharm. Orume Beatrice, said rice fortification had become necessary because of the increased consumption of rice in Nigeria.

“Twenty or thirty years ago, how many people were eating rice? But today, people eat rice three to five times a week,” she said, describing the initiative as a public-health intervention.

She said reports from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) showed high levels of micronutrient deficiencies among groups including pregnant women and children.

The officials also distinguished food fortification from biofortification, explaining that while biofortification is
carried out at the seed or farm level, food fortification takes place at the factory after processing.

They said food fortification provides an opportunity to add multiple micronutrients to processed foods and were being promoted alongside other interventions aimed at tackling micronutrient deficiencies in Nigeria.