GRDB encourages use of rice-based products to decrease imports

Oct 19, 2019 News

The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) recently embarked on a recent venture to promote local rice based products in a bid to decreased expenses incurred in imports.

General Manager of GRDB, Nizam Hassan examines some of the products with Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Hon. Valerie Adams-Yearwood

At a recent forum, the GRDB in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, met with stakeholders from the baker’s fraternity to educate them on the various opportunities that the gluten-free rice flour has to offer.
With a power point presentation, Research Assistant of GRDB, Gangadai Dindayal, explained that their board is presently urging the use of value added rice-based products to increase local product diversification, which she said makes room for nutritional fortification.
This, she added, will also add value for farmers and millers and enhancing, thus promoting marketability.
General Manager of GRDB, Nizam Hassan, in his presentation noted that said the Board has spent several years on production oriented research, which he indicated have been seeing much success.
He said that over the years there have been doing research on downstream processing and value addition for rice, citing that this is an area deemed very important and necessary for further development of the rice industry,
Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Valerie Adams-Yearwood, applauded the initiative. She said that it will foster the promotion of value-added rice-based products. She added that the venture will not only increase Guyana’s local product diversification but also allows for nutritional fortification.
She said that the re-introduction of rice flour on the local market will see a decrease in the import of wheat flour, thus reducing expenses incurred in importing wheat flour and by products.
At the initiative, stakeholders sampled items prepared with blended rice floor as they examined other products on display that promoted healthier and affordable life styles.

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