An estimated 20 lakh (two million) metric tonnes of super fine rice are being processed in fifty automatic rice mills of northwestern region of the country. Production of the super fine rice has surpassed the local demand. As a result, a huge quantity of the rice is now being exported abroad.
According to sources, 10 to 12 years ago, the country used to import 5 to 8 lakh tonnes of super fine rice like Minicate and aromatic fine rice (Chini Atap) every year but now the country has achieved autarchy in fine and super fine rice production and exporting two to three lakh tonnes abroad every year.
At present, there are at least 25 automatic rice mills in Dinajpur, 15 in Naogaon, seven in Chapainawabganj, three in Kushtia, four in Joypurhat, three in Bogra and two each in Cumilla and Rajshahi districts. 15 of such mills which have been imported from Japan, Korea, China and India, use computerised system to sort and process rice.
Sources said, earlier fine and aromatic rice used to be imported from India, Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand but now the local automatic mills have fulfilled the local demand.
In 15 automatic rice mills, computerised "Colour Star" machines used to sort dead, black rice, red-rice, coarse rice, pieces of stones, sand and soil from the rice and package the same sized and same quality rice.
Rice traders in Rajshahi said that the best quality minicate rice is being sold at Tk 50 per kg and the aromatic Atap rice is being sold at Tk 105 to 110 per kg in the whole sale markets.
Automatic rice mills owners, however, said the production cost of automatic rice mills is being increased due to increased use of electricity. They said that the mills use electricity in various phases resulting a higher production cost of rice.
