KOCHI: It was a special moment for Kerala when a researcher with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Kasaragod developed a dietary supplement, which was affordable and gave great results. The success of the ‘nutrimix’, made using wheat, soya chunks, Bengal gram, groundnut, and sugar has received international acclaim.
“I arrived at the dietary supplement as a part of my PhD research in the early 2000s,” says Niloofar Illiaskutty, who is now a chief technical officer with KVK.
“It was found that the children in the Bedadka panchayat in Kasaragod exhibited classic signs of malnutrition like stunted growth and poor bone development. So, I distributed the dietary supplement after much research to the families. I had experimented with various ingredients for around five years and then arrived at the composition of the mix.”
And the results were magnificent. In a year, the children started showing great improvement in their physique. The panchayat officials were impressed. They decided to form a self-help group to make the nutrimix and supply it to about 15 anganawadis.
“A production unit called Kirti Nutrimix was set up. We provided training to the women involved in the self-help group,” says Niloofar. Soon the success story spread to other panchayats and they approached Niloofar to set up more units. “The panchayats decided to fund the project with the amount set aside for Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS).”
However, since the amount available in the ICDS funds was scant, the original ingredients such as grated coconut and jaggery proved to be out of bounds. “We had to make a mix within a budget of `25. The units needed to make at least a profit of `10,” adds Niloofar.
So, she decided to ditch grated coconut. “The supplement needed to provide 320 kcal, including protein amounting to 15g. So we went with wheat, soya chunks, Bengal gram, groundnut, and jaggery,” says Niloofar. Currently, wheat, soya chunks, Bengal gram, groundnut and sugar are mixed in a ratio of 45:10:15:10:20gm.
After coming to know about the success of the nutrimix, Kudumbashree approached Niloofar. “They wanted us to train women from various self-help groups. We even had to expand the place where the Kirti Nutrimix was operating to accommodate the training classes,” says Niloofar.
Kudumbashree then started producing the supplement under the name ‘Amrutham’ and began distribution in 2006. “Although they kept much of the composition the same, they substituted jaggery with sugar since it is cheaper,” says Niloofar.
Now, at the 241 Kudumbashree units, over 1,500 women prepare this nutrimix. The total annual production across Kerala has gone up to 23,000 tonnes. “The nutrimix is a success and this achievement was recognised by the UN Food Programme, which honoured us with the Glenmark Nutrition Award for 2022,” says Niloofar, who has also brought out dietary supplements for pregnant and lactating women, and adolescent girls.