A “GEM” for women rice processors in Benin
Tuesday, 2015/11/10 | 08:15:47
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Savitri Mohapatra | IRRI Nov 9, 2015
An improved rice parboiling system developed by the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), combined with training and the adoption of an innovation platform approach along the rice value chain, is starting to make a difference in the lives of more than 450 women in the Glazoué rice hub in central Benin. It shortens processing time, reduces drudgery, and does not expose the women parboilers to heat burns.
Rice parboiling involves the practice of partially boiling rice in the husk before milling to make the rice firmer, less sticky, and more nutritious than nonparboiled rice. Parboiled rice is preferred in parts of Benin, Nigeria, and Ghana, and in other countries of West and Central Africa. It is reported that the bulk of the rice imported into Benin is parboiled rice, which enters the Nigerian market through informal channels. The demand for goodquality parboiled rice is high because it is already clean and easy to cook.
Designed for women
Rice parboiling is mainly performed by rural women in these regions and it significantly contributes to their livelihoods. However, the process is laborious, time-consuming, unsafe, and inefficient. It requires lots of firewood and water. Additionally, the traditional parboiling process using rudimentary equipment and methods often produces low-quality rice with many impurities, broken and burned grains, and undesirable smell.
According to Sali Ndindeng, AfricaRice grain quality and postharvest scientist, unless rice processing technologies can produce a marketable product, consumer demand will not be satisfied by locally produced rice.
To reduce women’s drudgery and to improve the milling yield and quality of local rice, AfricaRice, led by Dr. Ndindeng, designed a prototype based on improved models from the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development in Cameroon, the Food Research Institute in Ghana, and the National Institute for Agricultural Research in Benin (INRAB). The new technology was code-named Grain quality enhancer, Energy-efficient and durable Material (GEM) parboiling technology. GEM technology consumes much less fuel and water than the traditional system and is safer and more durable. It is equipped with hoists and rails to lift and move the heavy vessels in which the paddy is steamed.
http://ricetoday.irri.org/a-gem-for-women-rice-processors-in-benin/
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