By Gurpreet Singh Nibber

FRK is a nutrient-based supplement consisting of iron, folic acid and Vitamin B-12. There are 120 units in Punjab which are into production of FRK.

A directive by the Centre’s ministry of food and public distribution to quality check every batch of fortified rice kernels (FRK) produced in the Punjab will cause unnecessary delay in shelling on paddy, the millers’ body said on Sunday.

FRK is a nutrient-based supplement consisting of iron, folic acid and Vitamin B-12. There are 120 units in Punjab which are into production of FRK.

As per estimates, this season, 10,000 batches of FRK have to be tested. The 1 lakh tonne FRK to be produced is to be mixed with 105 lakh tonnes of rice expected to be milled this season from 156 lakh tonnes of procured paddy. The Centre will pay the cost of FRK at a rate of ₹39.80 per quintal, and total expenditure this season is ₹400 crore. The scheme for fortification of rice was started in 2020 under the PM Poshan scheme.

Since 2020, the Centre has made it mandatory to mix 1% of FRK in the rice stocks handed over to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for public distribution.

“Due to restrictions imposed by the Centre, the rice milling industry in Punjab is facing an unprecedented crisis due to the acute non-availability of Fortified Rice Kernel (FRK), bringing custom milling operations almost to a complete halt,” said an office bearer of the rice millers’ association.

Ranjit Singh Jossan, vice-president of the rice millers’ association, confirmed that even by December 20, the shelling activities haven’t started fully.

“Even by December 20, milling activities have not fully commenced, primarily because of new guidelines issued by the Centre’s food and public distribution ministry. Under the revised procedure, FRK undergoes multiple layers of mandatory testing first at NABL-accredited laboratories and then again at the ministry’s laboratories in Delhi, resulting in an excessively long approval cycle of 25 days to a month,” said Jossan.

The officials of the state food and civil supplies department accepted the long delay due to the new procedure of testing FRK laid down by the ministry.

The repetitive and time-consuming process has restricted the supply of ministry-approved FRK in the market, Jossan said, adding that it has caused milling processes to be delayed, eventually leading to financial losses.

The rice millers have demanded that the government rationalise the testing mechanism and remove redundant steps to restore normal milling operations.

Published Date: December 22, 2025