Question : CONVERSION OF PADDY INTO RICE

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

( SHRI SRIRAM CHAUHAN )

(a) In respect of the Rice procured for the Central Pool, the Government of India, based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee which examined the results of trail milling of Paddy conducted by three scientific institutes, have fixed an uniform out-turn (milling yield) ratio of 67% in Raw rice and 68% in parboiled rice.

(b), (c) & (d) : As per the available information, the out-turn ratio in respect of some of the major rice producing countries which employ improved rice milling technologies are :

(i)	Indonesia	-	68%
(ii)	USA	-	70%
(iii)	China	-	70%
(iv)	Australia	-	72%

(e) Assuming the international out-turn ratio of 72%, the estimated loss in terms of rice is about 7.0%.

(f) Government has taken following steps for increasing the milling yield of Paddy:


(i) In the year 1970 the Rice Milling industry (regulation and licensing) Rules were amended to take up the modernisation of conventional rice mills.

(ii) About 13 regional extension service centres have been set up so far in different paddy growing states to propagate the benefits of modernisation of rice mills and by product utilisation with the financial support by the Government of India.

(iii) In order to encourage production of quality rice mill machinery and allied equipment in the country four testing centres have been set up in the Southern, Eastern, Northern & Western regions of the country. These centres undertake testing of rice milling equipment as per standard prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standard.

(iv) A subsidy scheme was launched in the year 1983 for modernisation of Huller Mills wherein the beneficiaries were entitled to get about 50% cost of modernisation equipment as subsidy i.e. 15 thousands per unit. The scheme has been discontinued from April 1997 onwards.

However, a similar scheme is in operation by technology mission on oil seeds, pulses and maize in the Ministry of Agriculture to augment the availability of rice bran for extraction of oil by modernisation the Huller Rice Millers.