MAINTAINING STANDARDS IN THE PRODUCTION OF RICE

Mar 24, 2019 Features / Columnists, Standards in Focus

Farmers across Guyana are preparing to harvest the first rice crop for 2019, and while they are aiming to maximize profits from their yields, millers are aiming to buy paddy at the most reasonable prices.
The production of rice can become very cost effective when farmers and millers conform to the national standard and ensure that an accurate and reliably measurement system is utilized in the industry.
Rice producers must continue to maintain the production of high quality rice to keep their grasp on Guyana’s share of the international market and to penetrate new markets.
In addition, because rice is a food commodity, good production practices also have to be maintained to safeguard the health and safety of consumers of the commodity. The implementation and use of standards is very important and can be considered essential for addressing quality issues in the rice industry.
For rice as a consumer product, implementing standards in the industry improves quality, facilitates local and foreign trade, increases productivity, maintains consistency and protects consumers’ health and safety.
With standards, rice producers conforming to requirements can also improve the packaging and labelling of the commodity and protect the environment.
The use of verified instruments also ensures reliable and accurate measurements. The GNBS as the National Metrology Institute and possessor of the National Measurement Standards ensures that measuring devices used in the rice industry are accurate and reliable.
Devices verified in the industry include weighbridge scales, platform scales, hopper scales and smaller laboratory scales. Verification provides equity and traceability of measurements for rice offered for sale locally and on the overseas market.
Meanwhile, proper determination of the quality of rice also maximizes value and increases buyer satisfaction. The CARICOM Standard – Specification for Rice– which prescribes the requirements for the grades of paddy, cargo rice, milled rice, cargo parboiled rice and milled parboiled rice, is available for use by stakeholders in the rice industry.
The agency that regulates and monitors the production of rice is the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB). The GRBD routinely conducts checks at rice mills countrywide to ensure that they comply with available requirements.
For approximately four years now, the GRBD Central Laboratory has been internationally accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025 Standard, which specifies competency to carry out testing.
This accreditation is a huge advantage for the industry as the Central Laboratory can determine the quality of rice locally and the results it generates are accepted internationally.
Packaging and labelling of rice are also important, particularly to consumers and larger buyers. For labels that conform to requirements, millers and packers can be guided by the national standard for the labelling of prepackaged foods GYS 9-9: 2003.
Further, the implementation of internationally recognized Management System Standards such as, the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Requirements and the ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management Systems – Requirements with Guidance for use and the ISO 22000 – Food Safety Management System Standard can be order winners for rice millers and exporters. Already CARICOM Rice Mills on the Essequibo Coast and Nand Persaud and Company Ltd on the Corentyne are ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 certified, respectively. Other millers desirous of becoming internationally certified can garner technical support and training from the GNBS at very affordable costs.
To support the prosperity of the rice industry, the GNBS will continue to work with farmers, millers, exporters and the GRDB to develop, promote and implement standards, which are beneficial to the industry.
For further information, call the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0065 or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgy.org or facebook.com/gnbsgy

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