Paddy Rice Handling – A Major Challenge in Nigeria
Paddy rice is the seed of certain variety of grass of Gramineae family, botanically called Oryza sativa L. Today, rice has become one of the most important food and major food grains of the world. For this agricultural produce to become a finished product for consumption, it must undergo certain processing treatments prior to its conversion into edible form. The various unit operations are: threshing, cleaning, drying, storage, parboiling (optional), milling and packaging.
In Nigeria, threshing and drying has posted major challenge which lead to the dislike and rejection of rice locally produced, generally called “local rice.” This observation was brought to a close view by Koksbiks Food Processing Company Limited, after running a research with a company called “RICE-FREE FROM STONE
