Effect of paddy drying methods on the performance of rice mills in Bangladesh

Abstract

Major rice mills of Bangladesh are gradually running out from the paddy processing subsector, a serious concern for national food security. This study investigated the paddy drying methods of 22 rice mills to device a sustainable solution for major rice mills. Weather dependency and high sun drying time (48–96 hours) of paddy are responsible for low capacity utilization of major rice mills. Despite of high demand, appropriate dryer size for major rice mills was still unexplored. Present capacity utilization of major rice mills (27.6%) can be optimized to 72.5% with a 12 ton dryer. Analyzing drying mechanism of recirculating dryers, the study also proposed for a single dryer for both parboiled and aromatic paddy rather than following existing practice. This will make mechanical dryer affordable to major rice mill owners and new investors in this subsector.

Keywords:

• Major rice mill
• mechanical dryer
• rice recovery
• sun drying

Acknowledgments

This research was performed by as part of PHLIL Phase II project “Post-Harvest Loss Reduction Innovation Lab (PHLIL) Phase II- Bangladesh” under Grant A00-0864-S013 is made possible by the support of the American People provided to the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss (PHLIL) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and ADM Institute for the Prevention of Post-Harvest Loss, University of Illinois, USA. The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss.