The Hindu Business Line : Call to modernise rice mills

MODERNISATION of rice mills is imperative to boost non-basmati rice exports, according to Mr N.T Shanmugham, Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the three-day national exhibition and seminar on rice processing industry organised by the magazine, Ricemill Reporter, here on Friday, he said Andhra Pradesh as the main producer and processor of such rice should take the lead in the issue. Only 5,000 mills had been modernised in the State out of more than 20,000 trading and non-trading mills here, he said.

He urged the millers to make use of the Central scheme for rice mills in which 25 per cent of their modernisation cost was subsidised, subject to a ceiling of Rs 50 lakh.

As on January 1 this year, he said, there were 91,287 huller mills, 7,845 sheller-cum-huller mills, 4,538 sheller mills, 35,088 modern mills, totalling 1,39,238. ``Modernisation calls for using parboiling technologies that require less water and generate less effluents, using husk as a soil conditioner and substituting rubber rollers with HDPE reinforced rubber rollers for reducing the percentage of broken rice,'' the Minister said and added that export-worthy rice should not contain more than 5 per cent of brokens.

Mills should be urgraded to match the exacting standards and the Centre would lend a helping hand, he promised.

Mr A. Ramakrishna Reddy, President of AP Rice Millers' Association, said the millers as well as the farmers in the State were dynamic enough to boost exports, but there should be ``sound and consistent policies from the Centre'' on non-basmati rice exports. ``All the other countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, are giving huge export subsidies. Our minimum support prices are pretty high compared to the international prices. This disparity should be made good to the exporter in the form of subsidy,'' he said.

Mr V. Sobhanadreeswara Rao, State Agriculture Minister, said both farmers and millers should strive to increase exports. Farmers should cut down cultivation costs, improve farming practices and grow quality varieties and the millers too should adopt better technologies.

He felt there should be a dependable, exportable surplus of non-basmati rice as otherwise the exports of such rice would be subject to wide fluctuations from year to year. ``Even of late, there has been a spurt in rice exports only as the Centre has released huge stocks through FCI to exporters at cheap rates,'' he said.

Mr U.V Krishnam Raju, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, said the interests of the farmer, the miller and the consumer would have to be very finely balanced in formulating any export policy and ``India of late is making strides as a rice exporter. We may soon overtake Thailand''.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail
Comment on this article to BLFeedback@thehindu.co.in

Stories in this Section
Making plain timber work like teak

Thin arrivals paralyse rubber

Sugar Commissioner asked to earmark cane area for mill

Libya lifts ban on Indian tea imports

AP Govt plans to halve sales tax on gold

NDDB told to buy more milk from Rajasthan

Call to modernise rice mills

Rs 458-cr Jute Tech Mission to be launched soon

Vanilla acreage on the rise

Karnataka: Rains revive rabi hopes