Dushanbe, 14.03.2016. (NIAT “Khovar”). — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) hosted a workshop titled Cost Benefit Analysis of Flour Fortification in Tajikistan in Dushanbe.
It should be noted that micronutrient malnutrition is a significant challenge in Tajikistan. 24 percent of women of reproductive age and 29 percent of children under five suffer from anemia due to iron deficiency.
Workshop participants and key stakeholders engaged in discourse to collect, confirm and agree upon key data to be entered into a cost-benefit model to assess the cost effectiveness of flour fortification in Tajikistan.
Fortification, addition of a small amount of micronutrients to flour, is a proven approach to reduce micronutrient deficiencies that has been established in countries the world over. It is cost effective, covers a high percentage of the population if implemented correctly, and has been tested in many rigorous studies.
After workshop participants reviewed and agreed to the inputs, the final model projected that: the economic cost of doing nothing to address micronutrient deficiencies over ten years would be $889 million US dollars; and a national wheat flour fortification program will cost $32 million.
The cost-benefit analysis clearly demonstrated that the economic cost of micronutrient deficiencies is far greater than the cost of wheat flour fortification.