Rice bran oil production potential of Pakistan

Abid Butt, chief executive of e2e supply chain management, is an entrepreneur who has established Pakistan’s first rice bran oil mill.

Rice bran as it is called is a byproduct of rice milling process. Rice when converted from brown rice to white rice it gives rise to this byproduct. The bran is the outer coating of your everyday grain of rice, and is often removed during processing and used as animal feed - but a new study confirms it’s actually really nutritious.

Rice bran oil according to American Heart Association is the healthiest edible oil in the world. It’s per liter cost is equal to that of sunflower oil but it is comparatively healthier.

Many of the health benefits of bran can be utilized by extracting oil from it and using it for cooking purpose. The initiative by Mr. Butt may help Pakistanis make good use of the wasted byproduct. The plant according to him has the capacity of 10,000 tons and cost him around 1 billion rupees.

“The plant machinery cost me a little over Rs1 billion and has been imported from India — a leading country in rice bran oil technology. The production capacity of the plant is 10,000 tons.” says Mr. Butt.

Abid Butt intends to sell the oil to local edible oil companies for blending it with their products. But he also has an alternative of selling it by branding it themselves.

He says that as raw material is abundantly available locally, Government can reduce its edible oil import bill by millions of dollars.

As we know, the largest import of Pakistan after crude oil is edible oil. Pakistan spends around 2.7 billion dollars on import of edible oil annually.

Increasing edible oil production at home is a good option. Pakistan at present produces 6.7 million tons of rice annually and can reduce its import edible oil bill by around 510 million dollars by utilizing bran oil production potential.

In order to utilize full potential of bran oil technological barriers need to be overcome. Technological barriers include low shelf life of bran related products owing to presence of enzymes. Research may be under taken to enhance the shelf life of the oil. “Pakistan can gradually improve the efficiency of rice bran oil technology. We would like to get the support of Pakistani universities to improve the efficiency of this technology,” Butt said.

Rice bran which is used as low value animal feed or discarded despite the fact that it is rich in protein, healthy fats, dietary fibers and vitamins is going to be a rich source of essential nutrients for Pakistanis.

Mediterranean diet and Mediterranean lifestyle for health living.

Mediterranean diet, as the name suggests, refers to diet eaten in Southern Italy, Greece island of Crete and other areas of Greece in early 1960s. At that time, the average life expectancy of the region was highest in the world and incidence of heart diseases, certain cancers and other diseases was lowest in the world.

The diet includes olive oil, legumes, fish and other sea food, whole grains, nuts and fresh fruits and vegetables.  Many studies concluded that the diet is good not only for physical health but also for mental health and reduces the risk of many diseases from cancer to depression. 

Researches proved that healthy diet along with healthy lifestyle is the secret to region’s good health and long life expectancy. The routine fat intake is lower than 35% of their daily calories and much of that too from heart healthy olive oil. 

How does the diet work?

It is the overall diet approach that makes the difference. It is the combination of foods, rather than single superfood stuff that makes a healthy way to eat. 

Hence, if you are taking unhealthy diet adding one or two elements from Mediterranean diet isn’t going to make any difference. On the other hand, if you change whole of your eating habits, reducing processed food intake, increasing seafood consumption and opting for variety of foods and vegetables can add years to your life.

Implementing the diet plan in your daily life

Despite the health benefits of the diet, average person cannot afford to increase the costly food items like fish and olive oil in their diet. The move towards Mediterranean diet can be made by substituting costly olive oil with other plant based oils like soybean and canola oil.

Joan Salge Blake, clinical associate professor and dietetic internship director Boston University, offered the following advice for less wealth health conscious consumers:-

1.    Buy in-season.

2.    Look for variety and sale.

3.    Don’t overcook

4.    Consider frozen and canned food.

5.    Try affordable alternatives.

Mediterranean lifestyle

Mediterranean diet is an important part of healthy lifestyle followed by the Mediterranean region. The region has many cultural elements different from that of other parts of the world.  

“We need to redefine the Mediterranean diet, the truth is that it’s a lifestyle. It’s the whole approach. It’s the food. It’s the social interaction. It’s getting the right kind of exercise. It’s being outside. It’s getting sunlight and sunshine.” Dr. Aeem Malhotra , British cardiologist, told New York Times.

The habit of Siesta- enjoying shuteyes in the afternoon for a few minutes to a few hours- is very common the region. The life in the region comes to halt in the afternoon for mesimeri ( Greek for quiet time).

Other life routines in the region include walking to stores rather than driving. Greeks are habitual mountain climbers in their daily routine as majority of Greece is covered with mountainous region. Eating with family or friends and taking long time to eat is another thing in Greece culture. Taking long time to eat reduces the possibility of over-eating and hence reducing the risk of obesity.

Growing international demand for Paksitani halal food

Keeping in view the growing international halal food market, Fauji meat limited has set up 75 million USD halal abattoir and meat processing plant, in Karachi.  This 47 acre spread facility has daily production capacity of 100 ton meat, of which 85 tons would be beef, in both chilled and frozen categories.

Halal food is the one which is prepared and is hygienic, in accordance with the principles of Sharia.

The demand for halal products is growing at a 10.8% annually, and is expected to reach 3.7 trillion dollars till 2019. Halal food makes up the largest share of this halal products industry.

Pakistan, is ideally located, to take benefit of this opportunity as consumers in gulf countries have huge liking for Pakistani halal stuff, especially the meat.

With 2nd largest buffalo and 8th largest cattle herd, Pakistan is endowed with valuable live stock. In mutton category Pakistan has 4th largest goat herd and has 9th largest number of sheep in the world. India, situated at the border, has earned more than 4.7 billion dollars from exports of buffalo meat in the fiscal year ended in 2015.

FPCCI president Abdul Rauf Alam, while talking to a private newpaper, said that world leading suppliers for halal products including high quality meat, poultry, dairy products and other foods are Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Philippines,  Thiland, New Zealand and United States. He further added that USA and Australia are biggest halal beef exporter while Brazil and France are the largest halal poultry meat exporter in the Middle East.

Thailand has become 5th largest global halal food producer.

With more than 700 billion dollar market size halal food is expected to attract 2 billion consumers, both Muslim and non-Muslim.

Global market size for halal food is more than 700 billion U.S. dollars

Businesses around the world have started producing halal food to reduce costs. The daily Mail online in this report said that many major Supermarket chains and restaurants, in U.K., sell halal meat to keep their costs low as it can be eaten by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike

Fauji meat is eyeing lucrative foreign markets but equally important is to market these branded and packaged products to domestic consumer as well. This will not only be good for Fuji meat in long term but also for Pakistan’s halal meat industry.

Can potato help Pakistan fight malnutrition, water shortage and poverty

During 2014, death of children in Thar made headlines. District administration provided 253,590 families with bags, containing 50 KGs of wheat. People in poor regions are facing malnourishment. People in many poor regions, like Thar, rely on wheat for fulfilling their calorie needs.

Wheat crop needs more water to grow than potato crop. Rice, second most consumed food in Pakistan, also uses huge water. Rather than letting people die of under nutrition, policy-makers should introduce potato as popular diet.

Earlier efforts were made by General Ayub’s military Govt. to introduce potato as staple food, but these were unsuccessful.

At present Potatoes, after rice, wheat, and corn, is the fourth-most-consumed food crop in the world.

Potato, first domesticated in areas of southern Peru and north western Bolivia, had played huge role in Europe rise. Since the time it was introduced by Spanish, it has revolutionized the Europe’s economy and impacted demographics. According to historian William H. McNeill : “By feeding rapidly growing populations, [it] permitted a handful of European nations to assert dominion over most of the world between 1750 and 1950”

Agronomists have long been in favor of potato farming in regions with malnutrition, pasture shortage, and poverty due to its high nutrient levels and the ability to grow in challenging conditions.

The potato stands out for its effective water use, yielding more food per unit of water than any other major crop. An increase in the proportion of potato in daily diet can help alleviate pressure on fresh water resources.

Furthermore, Potato production is two times more labor intensive than grain production. Hence more jobs for people living in unirrigated lands. Its productive land usage is another edge over other crops, as it yields four times more per hectare yield than wheat. It can free up land for rapid urbanization.

Replacing wheat with potato in our daily diet is not only healthy but also good for economy. 

Rice Duck farming

Japanese farmer Takao Furuno is architect of integrated rice duck farming. In this method the rice crop is grown along with duck farming. Duck farming helps control pests and other harmful insects in rice farm.

Duck is useful bird. Its eggs and meat are useful sources of protein. the bird can be used to provide supplemental income for farmers. Another benefit is to produce meat.

Duck’s meat is halal if slaughtered according to Islamic principles. Halal food market has grown to 1.1 trillion dollars in 2013.

 Duck fat contains 35.7% saturates, 50.5 monounsaturates,and 13.7% polyunsaturated fats (containing omega-6 and omega-3 essential oils). This resembles olive oil which contain 75% monounsaturated fats (oleic acid), 13 % saturated fats, and 10% omega-6 linoleic acid and 2% Omega-3 linoleic acid.

Duck meat is also a source of zinc and selenium. Zinc can also boost your immune system while selenium helps your thyroid function properly.

The droppings of ducks can act as a fertilizer. Ducks also churn up water with their feet hence providing oxygen to rice plant roots, thereby boosting growth of the plant. Using this method per acre yield of rice can be increased to two fold.  Furthermore the rice produced using organic method is more wholesome as compared to grown using pesticides. Organically grown rice also fetch high price in the market. 

Popularizing duck rice farming method can help solve food problem as rice provides carbohydrates to human population. Duck and rice farming when combined increase per acreage yield of rice. Using organic method of agriculture can also help reduce damage to ecosystem.