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Cereal & grain

Rice: what can it become?

Paddy rice can be dried, milled, graded and parboiled into clean, whole-grain rice, with husk, bran and broken grains as useful by-products.

  1. Raw rice
  2. Processing
  3. Value-added products
  4. Packaging
  5. Markets
  6. Customers

Much of the value in rice is decided after harvest: poor drying, rough milling and mixed grain quality lead to broken grains, impurities and spoilage. Careful drying, good milling and grading, and parboiling where buyers want it, give a cleaner and more consistent product. Husk and broken grains can also be turned into fuel or flour, and bran can find practical uses, rather than being wasted.

What can rice become?

Milled and graded rice

Paddy turned into clean white rice, with whole grains separated from broken ones.

Processing
Dry the paddy, clean it, remove the husk, whiten or polish away the bran, then grade to separate whole grains from broken grains and impurities.
Equipment
  • Cleaning and destoning unit
  • Husker (rubber roll or disc type)
  • Whitener or polisher
  • Grader or sifter
  • Bagging and weighing area
Packaging
Clean, sturdy sacks or retail bags that protect against damp and pests; consumers who pay more often expect neat packaging and a clear quality description.
Storage
Keep in a dry, cool, well-aired store, off the floor. Milled rice does not keep as long as paddy, so avoid long storage and keep moisture out.
Customer types
  • Households
  • Retailers and market traders
  • Restaurants and caterers
  • Schools and institutions
Distribution
Sold to market traders and shops, to wholesalers, or directly to institutions and households.
Possible business models
  • Own small or medium mill
  • Contract milling for farmers
  • Buy paddy, mill and resell

Parboiled rice

Rice partly cooked in the husk before milling, giving harder grains that break less and are widely liked by consumers in West Africa.

Processing
Soak the paddy, heat it with steam or hot water, then dry it carefully before milling. Improved parboilers help to avoid stones, burnt grains and impurities.
Equipment
  • Soaking vats
  • Improved parboiling unit (for example the GEM parboiler)
  • Drying floor or dryer
  • Huller and polisher
  • Sieve or grader
Packaging
Clean, dry sacks or retail bags with clear labelling; protect from moisture.
Storage
Dry, cool, ventilated store. Paddy must be dried well after parboiling, because damp parboiled paddy can grow mould and aflatoxin risk is a known concern.
Customer types
  • Households
  • Open-market traders
  • Retailers
  • Canteens and institutions
Distribution
Often sold through market traders and wholesalers; processors may group together to sell larger, more uniform lots.
Possible business models
  • Women's processing group or cooperative with shared parboiler
  • Own parboiling and milling unit
  • Contract parboiling for farmers

Rice bran for feed

The outer layer removed during whitening, which in practice is often used as animal feed.

Processing
Collect the bran from the whitener or polisher, keep it clean and dry, and use it fresh or sell it quickly to interested buyers such as livestock keepers or feed mixers.
Equipment
  • Bran collection point on the mill
  • Sieve
  • Scoop and weighing scale
  • Sacks or bins
Packaging
Breathable or sealed sacks kept clean and dry; avoid mixing with husk or stones.
Storage
Store dry and away from heat and pests. Bran carries fat that can go rancid, so do not store it for long.
Customer types
  • Poultry and livestock farmers
  • Feed mixers and millers
  • Fish farmers
  • Feed retailers
Distribution
Sold directly to nearby livestock farmers or through feed shops and feed manufacturers.
Possible business models
  • Side income for a rice mill
  • Collect from several mills and resell
  • Blend into own feed mixes

Rice husk products

The hard outer cover removed at dehusking, which can be used for fuel, bedding and building uses.

Processing
Collect husk at the huller, keep it dry and free of stones, and supply it as it is or shape it into briquettes.
Equipment
  • Husk collection chute or bin
  • Sacks or storage bay
  • Briquette press (optional)
  • Simple husk-fuel stove or boiler (optional)
Packaging
Bulk bags or loose supply in covered containers; keep dry.
Storage
Dry covered area away from fire risk and rain.
Customer types
  • Parboiling units needing fuel
  • Poultry and livestock keepers (bedding)
  • Brick makers and builders
  • Households using fuel briquettes
Distribution
Supplied locally by bag or truckload, or used on site as fuel for parboiling.
Possible business models
  • Use as own fuel at the mill
  • Sell to nearby farms and users
  • Briquette making as a side business

Broken rice and rice flour

Broken grains separated at grading, used in flour, cereals, noodles and other foods.

Processing
Separate broken grains from whole grains during grading, then sell them as broken rice or mill them into flour for other foods.
Equipment
  • Grader or sifter
  • Small flour mill
  • Sieve
  • Bagging area
Packaging
Clean, dry, food-safe bags with clear labels showing what the product is.
Storage
Dry, cool, off the floor. Flour takes up moisture and spoils faster than whole grain.
Customer types
  • Households
  • Small bakers and snack makers
  • Local food processors
  • Traders and retailers
Distribution
Sold to nearby traders and shops, or directly to small food businesses that use it as an ingredient.
Possible business models
  • Sell broken rice as a lower-grade product
  • Mill into flour in own unit
  • Supply ingredients to small food businesses

The customers, routes to market, business models and many practical tips on this page are suggestions, not findings. Know something better? Suggest an improvement →

Business opportunities around rice

Sources and further reading

The handling, processing and storage information on this page draws on the sources below. The lists of customers, distribution routes and business models are practical suggestions, not findings from these sources. Links open in a new tab.

Examples describe possibilities, not guaranteed results. Prices, demand and rules vary by country and season — verify locally.