12 STEPS TO MAKING RICE

STEP ONE CROP CALENDAR

• A crop calendar is a picture of your rice growing season: crop production from the fallow, land preparation, crop establishment, and maintenance through harvest and storage.

STEP TWO BEST VARIETY

• The most suitable variety is the one best meeting farmer’s and consumer’s needs. It may not always give the highest yield and will be influenced by availability of water

STEP THREE BEST QUALITY SEED

• High-quality seed reduces the required seeding rate and produces strong, healthy seedlings, resulting in a more uniform crop with higher yields.

STEP FOUR PREPARE FIELDS WELL

• A well-prepared and leveled field gives a uniform, healthy crop that can compete with weeds, use less water, and give higher yields at a lower cost.

STEP FIVE PLANT ON TIME

• Planting the crop on time will help produce a fast-growing, uniform crop that will have higher yields and will be better able to compete with weeds and pests.The best time to plant depends on the locality, variety, water availability, and the best harvest time.

STEP SIX WEED EARLY

• Weeds compete directly with the rice plants and reduce rice yield. Each 1 kg dry matter of weeds is equivalent to 1 kg grain loss. Weeds cause most yield loss within the first 20–50 days after crop establishment.

STEP SEVEN FERTILIZE TO MAXIMIZE RETURNS

• Most soils provide only limited amount of nutrients to the crop, therefore fertilizers need to be applied to increase grain yield. In some cases, fertilizers are also added to improve the soil’s physical condition

STEP EIGHT US WATER EFFICIENTLY

• To maximize water-use efficiency: • Maintain the bunds; • Level the fields; • Puddle the fields where possible; • Use direct-seeding techniques; • Use short-duration crops; and • Harvest on time.

STEP NINE CONTROL PESTS AND DEASEASES.

• Farmers lose an estimated average of 37% of their rice crop to pests and diseases every year. In addition to good crop management, timely and accurate diagnosis can significantly reduce losses.

STEP TEN HARVEST ON TIME

• Crops should be harvested when: • Grain moisture is between 20–22%, which is normally about 30 days after flowering; • 80–85% of the grains are straw- colored; • Grains in the lower part of the panicle are hard, not soft; and • Grains are firm but not easily broken when squeezed between the teeth. After cutting, maximize grain quality by: • Ensuring the panicles do not touch the ground or lay in water; • Minimizing the time the cut panicles remain in large bundles in the field — thresh within 24 hours of cutting; • Drying the grains as soon as possible after threshing; • Turning or stirring the grains at least once every hour when sun drying to achieve uniform drying; • Sun drying on tarpaulins or clean drying pads; • Keeping the thickness of the grain layer at 3–5 cm; • Covering the grain on hot days during mid-day to prevent over-heating, and covering immediately if it starts raining; • Cleaning the grain by repeated winnowing after drying; and • Storing the rice in a cool, dry, and clean area — preferably in sealed containers for seed.

Step 11: Store safely

• Rice is best stored as paddy because the husk provides some protection against insects and helps prevent grain quality deterioration. A safe storage system will prevent the grain from getting wet after drying and also give protection from insects, rodents, and birds.

Step 12: Mill efficiently

• Milling rice paddy removes the husk and bran layer to produce white rice. Rice is best milled at 13–14% moisture content. Best results are attained when the process is completed in a number of stages. Grain temperatures should not exceed 45°C during the process. An efficient mill removes the husk (20%), the bran or meal (8–10%), and leaves 70% as white rice. Rice grown in irrigated systems should attain 60% white rice as head rice (unbroken, white kernels) and rain fed systems 40–50% as head rice.

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UNDERSTAND THE MARKET

• The value of milled rice in the market is determined by a number of physical and chemical characteristics, and the consumers, which will vary within and between countries. Physical characteristics Milling degree or color.The degree of milling or amount of the brown rice removed affects the color of white rice and often the price. Under-milled rice absorbs water poorly, does not cook well, and is normally cheaper. Head rice percentage or % broken. Head rice (whole kernels) also includes broken kernels that are 75–80% of the whole kernel. High head rice yield is one of the most important criteria for measuring milled rice quality. High-quality rice normally has less than 5% brokens. Whiteness or translucency.This characteristic is a combination of varietal physical characteristics and the degree of milling. During milling, the whitening and polishing process greatly affects the whiteness of the grain and its transparency Chalkiness. Grain appearance is affected by the amount of chalkiness or white belly. Chalkiness is caused by interruption of the final grain filling.Though chalkiness disappears upon cooking (and has no direct effect on cooking and eating qualities), excessive chalkiness often downgrades the quality and reduces milling recovery. Chemical characteristics Gelatinization temperature or cooking time. Environmental conditions such as temperature during ripening influence gelatinization temperature.There is normally a preference for rice with intermediate gelatinization temperature. Amylose content or stickiness.The amylose content of rice usually ranges from 15–35%. High-amylose rice has high volume expansion, grains cook dry, are less tender, and become hard upon cooling. Low-amylose rice cooks moist and sticky. Intermediate-amylose rice (21–24%) is preferred in most rice-growing areas of the world. Gel consistency measures the tendency of the cooked rice to harden on cooling. Varieties with a softer gel consistency are preferred if rice is to be consumed after cooling or if cooked rice with higher degree of tenderness is desired.