PESHAWAR, Feb 17: The NWFP Health Department will extend the Universal Wheat Enrichment Project to six flour mills by the end of 2007.

The project was launched in 2003 with the assistance of the Canadian International Development Agency (Cida) to reduce iron deficiency among children and women.

“Initially, the pilot project was launched in three flour mills in Peshawar. This year, the project would be extended to six more flour mills.

“It will be extended to cover the entire country by 2013,” said Dr Fayyaz Ali, consultant of the Micronutrient Initiative, which is implementing the project.

The project titled “Enriching Food and Enriching Lives”, would be made operational in 30 flour mills across the country.

The National Nutrition Survey report of 2002-03 has been made a baseline for the project, which says that 30 per cent of the children and 50 per cent of women in Pakistan had iron deficiency anaemia.

According to the National Nutrition Survey, 1.2 per cent of the children had visible goitre, 1.3 per cent palpable goitre and 22.9 per cent urinary excretion due to iodine deficiency, while 9.9 per cent of pregnant women suffered from vitamin A deficiency and 7.8 per cent from night blindness.

He said the objective of the project is to minimise anaemia incidence by 2013.