Shaukat Korai

Husking technology is proving to be a game changer for rice producers across Sindh, boosting the product’s quality and its demand in the international market.

The technology was introduced by Sindh Enterprise Development Fund (SEDF), benefitting over 200 rice mills across the province. Chetan Lal, owner of a rice mill, told Wealth Pakistan that husking technology had significantly enhanced his business growth. “Before the adoption of husking technology, our market was limited to the areas in the vicinity of the factory, but now we have entered the markets of mega cities like Karachi and beyond,” Chetan Lal said.

Husking technology employs specialised machines, such as rubber roll shellers, that use a shearing action to remove the inedible outer husk from harvested rice paddy, yielding edible rice. This critical milling process effectively separates the husk while preserving the integrity and quality of the valuable rice, aiming for minimal grain breakage and high recovery yields. Chetan Lal said that the technology helps them produce export quality rice.

Qabool Muhammad Khatian, former president of Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, told Wealth Pakistan that both farmers and mill owners had benefited from the technology. “This technology significantly reduces rice drying time and the breakage ratio.” He said millers now utilize a centralised facility for drying and packaging of rice to enhance its quality. Qabool said modern husking technology is mostly imported from China.

Suresh Kumar, who owns a rice mills in Thatta district, told WealthPK that husking technology had made operations robust and fast. He said the technology had helped maintain the quality of rice, making it competitive in the international market. He said the new technology had almost halved the time needed to prepare the final product.

He said that an investment of around Rs15 million is required to deploy the new technology. Suresh said the polishing and colouring of the rice is now done in Thatta instead of Karachi. “We have also trained workers at local level to operate the machines, generating employment for the local communities. Statistics obtained from SEDF show that rice is the second largest consumed food after wheat. Pakistan is the 11th largest producer of rice and 4th largest exporter of rice.

It produces 7.5 million tons of rice annually. Sindh shares 40% of national rice production at 2.7 million metric tons annually. The province produces major varieties such as Irri-6, Irri-9, D-98, and Super Basmati. Major rice growing areas are Larkana, Dadu, Shikarpur, Qamber-Shaddadkot, Jacobabad and Kashmore districts of upper Sindh, while Thatta, Badin, Sujawal and Tando Muhammad Khan are major rice producing areas in lower Sindh.

Credit: INP-WealthPk