Darker in colour but higher in nutrition, parboiled rice (left) will soon be available in Yangons markets. Pic: Lwin Maung Maung

RICE which has been parboiled to give it a higher nutritional value will go on the market next month, said a Yangon rice miller.

U Nyi Nyi Zaw, owner of the Aung Tagon rice mill at the Bayintnaung commodity trading centre in Yangon, said the mill will produce the rice for the domestic market and plans to export any surplus.

“Although we planned to produce and distribute parboiled rice during December we could not because we weren’t able to buy enough paddy,” he said.

He said parboiled rice – which is partially boiled in its husk – will cost about the same as the common ehmehta rice.

A 50-kilogram (110-pound) sack of ehmehta costs about K15,000, up about K1000 on last month.

“We have the capacity to produce 400 sacks of parboiled rice a day if we get enough electricity,” he said, adding that the mill has a back-up power supply that is generated by burning rice from husks.

U Nyi Nyi Zaw said the government has agreed to allow the company, through the Myanmar Rice and Paddy Traders Association, to export parboiled rice, though the details are yet to be finalised.

The association’s general secretary, Dr Myo Aung Kyaw, supports the plan to produce parboiled rice.

“We hope this parboiled rice will be distributed in the market in January and we plan to export it as soon as possible,” he said, adding that the product has a number of benefits for consumers.

“Parboiled rice is a healthier choice for consumers because it is richer in vitamins B1 and B2 and Niacin compared with normal rice,” Dr Myo Aung Kyaw said.

Parboiled rice is produced by soaking paddy in water heated to 70 degrees Celsius for eight hours. It is then steamed for eight minutes.

After that it is dried again until only 14pc of the moisture remains before being milled.

These additional steps give the rice its higher-than-normal nutritional value.
“By partially boiling the paddy, the vitamins in the husk are forced into the rice, leaving it nutritionally richer,” he said.

“This rice is more suitable for those who are suffering diabetes and high blood pressure.”

Parboiled rice can also prevent Beriberi disease as well as infant deaths from vitamin BI deficiency, said Dr Myo Aung Kyaw.

A commercial advantage of parboiled rice, he said, is that more can be produced from the same amount of paddy.

“If we milled 100 baskets, or 2300kg, of paddy, we would get only about 30 baskets of white rice.

“But if we milled 100 baskets of parboiled paddy, we would get about 40 baskets of rice,” he said.

Dr Myo Aung Kyaw said the higher yields cover increased production costs.
The association plans to explore opportunities to export parboiled rice to Bangladesh, as well as India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and some countries in Africa and the Middle East.

“We can export this rice easily to Bangladesh because 70pc of the population eat parboiled rice and that nation cannot produce enough to meet market demand,” he said.

Myanmar has exported parboiled rice since 1935. Exports reached about 768,523 tonnes before the Second World War.