Center wants to stop buying parboiled rice

The Centre has said it will stop the purchase of excess parboiled rice, of which Telangana is a major producer. Parboiled rice refers to rice that has been partially boiled at the paddy stage, before milling.

The practice of lightly boiling rice has been going on in India since ancient times. However, there is no specific definition of parboiled rice by the Food Corporation of India or the Food Ministry.

Processes of Parboiling Rice:

• According to the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, paddy is soaked in hot water for three hours.

• While in another method the paddy is soaked for 8 hours. The water is then drained off and the paddy is steamed for 20 minutes.

• Also, in the method used by CFTRI, the paddy is shade-dried, but in the normal method, it is sun-dried.

Types of crops:

• It is a Kharif crop that requires high temperature (above 25°C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.

• Rice is grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas and the deltaic regions.

• West Bengal tops the list of rice-producing states followed by Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

The Rank of India in the Production of Rice:

• In terms of rice production, India ranks second in the world. China is the world’s largest rice producer. 

• West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu are the top five rice-producing states in India.

• India is the top global exporter of Basmati rice. 

• Key Basmati rice-producing states include Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Western Uttar Pradesh.