Millers can polish rice maximum two times under a new law set to be enforced soon for preserving the nutritional qualities of rice and the prevention of unnecessary food wastage, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said Monday.

Polishing rice more than two times results in the loss of certain vital nutrients as well as the wastage of 16-18 tonnes of rice every year, the minister said at an event in Porsha upazila, Naogaon.

At the event, the minister handed over cheques of stipends among indigenous children and corrugated tins for rebuilding damaged houses among disaster-affected families.

If excessive polishing of rice can be prevented, rice production cost would also fall contributing to a reduction in consumer inflation levels, the minister added.