Simple, innovative technology can truly transform the lives of people
living in the hinterlands. That’s what an ingenious rice parboiler unit
has done for the rural women of Deoghar district in Jharkhand.
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| Image & Article courtesy : .theweekendleader.com |
Parvati Devi, 45, of Madanpur village in Deoghar, is all smiles these
days because she has acquired a rice parboiler unit, which enables her
to save more than 50 per cent of her yield that used to get destroyed
earlier when she’d heat the paddy to make parboiled rice, popularly
known as ‘usna’ in the region.
Whereas for this mother-of-eight growing paddy on their two-acre farm
was not difficult - she had been tilling land ever since she was a
young girl - the nightmare began when, at the end of every Rabi season,
she had to prepare the parboiled rice for storage.
Across eastern India, ‘usna’ is a staple with rice eaters. Post-harvest
the grain is steamed in an iron tray for one-and-a-half hour and then
dried under shade. Thereafter, it is taken to the rice hulling machine
for final processing.
The steaming process is labour intensive as the paddy requires constant
monitoring and turning over by hand to prevent it from burning. “Every
year, I used to end up losing sizeable amounts of the yield as I used
the age-old technique of boiling paddy to prepare parboiled rice that we
consume as part of our daily meal. While this rice is better to taste,
healthy and lasts for a longer period of time, the boiling process is
tiring and the losses incurred can be huge,” she remarks.
Like Parvati, other farmers in the area, too, had resigned themselves
to losing a sizeable portion of their produce during processing.
However, the introduction of the rice parboiler unit has slowly improved
the situation not just for the local women – it has lessened their work
burden considerably – but also assured families of a steady supply of
their favourite food.
This technology has been brought to people’s doorsteps through local
farmers’ clubs constituted by the Centre for World Solidarity (CWS), a
non government organisation in the area.
According to Rajesh Kumar Jha of CWS, which has worked with farmers to
develop the unit, “The idea behind creating this device was to save rice
that forms the basis of all food in these parts. The procedure of
boiling the paddy consumed enormous amounts of fuel and needed dedicated
manpower but ultimately the loss was still colossal.”
The unit called Devipur Usna has been designed by Abhivyakti
Foundation, a non-government organisation working with CWS, and it uses
convection heating to treat the rice. A 200-litre drum that doubles up
as storage is divided into two vertical chambers with the help of a net
sieve fixed one foot from the bottom.
The lower chamber is used to store water that is boiled to create steam
that rises to cook the paddy uniformly. Just above the sieve there is
an opening from where the steamed rice can be removed.
Around four years back, a trial run of the first unit was conducted in
Madanpur village with the help of two farmers. Their feedback enabled
some vital design modifications - an additional sheet was put at the
bottom to safeguard the grain from high heat.
Elaborates Lokeshwar of Abhivyakti Foundation, “The minor changes we
made to the paddy boiler unit have had a significant impact. It is
economical at every level - just one person is needed to operate the
boiler, is less time consuming and needs minimal fuel. Moreover, the
paddy that used to get burnt earlier due to high heat is unaffected.”
The Devipur Usna has four-fold benefits. A farmer can steam 1800 kilos
of paddy in a single batch, only one person is required to keep an eye,
there is no need to turn it over and all this results in reduced work
load for the womenfolk. Within an-hour-and-a-half the entire process is
complete. The fuel consumption is down by 50 per cent as is the
probability of losing the produce.
“A little innovation can make a huge difference to the lives of people
who are anyway impoverished. The post harvest process used to be very
labourious for women, who are responsible for doing most of the work
during cultivation season. The rice parboiler unit ensures them some
time off to either be with their children or simply rest,” observes
Rajesh Kumar.
As per the 61st round of National Sample Survey (NSS) 46.3 per cent of
people in Jharkhand are living below poverty line while the per capita
income is only Rs 7,200. In fact, between the years 1983 and 2000 there
was a 20 per cent increase in poverty in the state in comparison to the
national average.
Where the state of hunger is concerned, a qualitative baseline survey
conducted by the CWS has declared it as one of the most food insecure
states in the country with more than 12.5 per cent of the population out
of the food safety net with no guarantee of regular meals throughout
the year. The India State Hunger Index (2008) also reveals a grim
picture documenting the presence of severe undernourishment, child
malnutrition and infant mortality.
“Thanks to this rice parboiler unit, at least farmers like me do not
have a reason to complain and fret that the food we grew was lost,” says
Rina Devi, who had lived with severe loss of grain year after year in
her small village of Devipur until she discovered the goodness of the
steaming unit.
Although storage of food grains and quality and quantity of produce
still remain key concerns for several farmers in the region, they are
pleased with the fact that at least the food they grow with great
diligence and patience can be saved with a device that has proved to be
quite the lifesaver.
“For women famers like me, this unit is a real boon. While the men-folk
continue to migrate seasonally for work those of us left behind have
remained loyal to the land and cultivation remains our main work. Small
ways to keep the losses to a minimum can only be a bonus for us,”
concludes Rina Devi. - Women's Feature Service.
Source : theweekendleader.com
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