The Hindu Business Line : More value-added paddy products from KRBL fold

The company recently acquired an integrated rice milling plant in Dhuri, Punjab for about Rs 40 crore and proposes to invest close to Rs 40 crore in the plant for renovation and upgradation.

This would be the first such integrated rice plant in Asia to come into full operation by October. The newly acquired plant has the capacity of processing 120 tonnes of paddy per hour.

``The company has identified the by-products of rice/paddy (husk, bran) that have the potential to generate multiple sources of revenue,'' Mr Anoop Gupta, Joint Managing Director of the company, told Business Line.

The husk from this plant will be used for the production of furfural and for generation of 11 MW power through backpressure steam turbines.

Based on the capacities, the company would be producing approximately 3,000 MT of furfural. Through its own power generation facility, the company expects to save Rs 11 crore annually.

The husk ash will further be used for production of amorphous silica. Husk, the outer shell of the paddy, has wide variety of applications such as it can be used to extract furfural, generate power and produce pharmaceutical grade Silica.

Bran, which is another by-product, can be used to extract edible rice bran oil and make de-oiled cakes for animal feed.

``The biggest contributor to the company's fortune will be the Bran Health Oil, The research department of the company has been successful in developing Health Oil from the rice barn; and in addition, a wide variety of health foods generated out of by-products are being launched shortly,'' he said.

Bran oil is considered to be very effective in controlling heart-related diseases and is very popular in developed countries.

At this new facility, the rice bran will be used for the production of cooking oil and cosmetic oil with desired amounts of oryzanol, tocopherols and tocotrienols.

``The company will invest another Rs 100 crore in the expansion and integration of its operations,'' he said.