Stainless steel is the most hygienic, durable and, cost effective metal for rice mill industry: ISSDA

Stainless steel is the most hygienic, durable and, cost effective metal for rice mill industry: ISSDA

Lower maintenance and longer life cycle gives stainless steel an edge over other materials

Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA), the apex body of the Indian stainless steel industry, organised a seminar on the ideal choice of material in rice mill plants today in Burdwan. The event highlighted the growing corrosion and hygiene related concerns of the rice mill industry, thus emphasizing on the urgent need to shift to stainless steel in order to ensure a durable, healthy, and cost effective raw material which is also low on maintenance. “Corrosion and hygiene are the biggest challenges in the rice mill industry but they can be easily curbed with the use of stainless steel. Stainless steel is a low maintenance, corrosion free, easy to fabricate, and hygienic metal with a longer life cycle. I am confident that the rice mill industry will benefit economically with stainless steel solutions as corrosion related losses will reduce drastically”, said Shri SK Goel, Chief of Business Unit, Jindal Stainless Steelway Limited in his welcome note.

India, being one of the world’s largest producers of rice, boasts of a significant rice milling market. East India accounts for the largest share of the rice milling market in the country, primarily due to the fact that this area is conducive for rice growth. As per the Market Research Future report, Indian rice milling market is expected to value at an estimated USD 392.6 million by the end of 2022*. Rice millers are increasingly investing in modern and high-quality rice milling equipment to increase yield and quality of the final product. However, they face challenges of rapid corrosion of blades and other hygiene-related issues due to unused rice husk. 

In his opening remarks, Shri Sushil Chowdhary, President, Bengal Rice Mill Association and General Secretary, The Federation of All India Rice Millers Association said, “East India constitutes the biggest rice mills market with Burdwan as a major centre where use of mechanical dryer started in 1990s. In due course, we have faced challenges like high maintenance cost, frequent repair work etc. I am hopeful that with the use of stainless steel, we will be able to improve the productivity as well as bring down the lifecycle cost of our machineries, which in return will benefit both the industry and the society.”    

Along with Shri Sushil Chowdhary, President, Bengal Rice Mill Association, the event was attended by other dignitaries like Shri Abdul Malek, Working President, Burdwan District Rice Mill Association & Bengal Rice Mill Association; Shri Rohit Kumar, Executive Director, Indian Stainless Steel Development Association, and Shri Punjab Singh, a fabricator from Punjab.

“ISSDA has been working closely with rice millers to promote stainless steel in the industry as the metal which will ensure sustainable growth in the sector. Stainless steel can curtail contamination as well as increase the life of machineries and equipments. This directly benefits the consumers as well as the millers”, said Rohit Kumar, Executive Director, ISSDA.

Stainless steel has a high resistance to corrosive media found in rice mill industry. This leads to a long life of the equipment and prevents wear and tear. The special high chromium and nickel – alloyed grades of the metal allow scaling and retain strength at high temperatures, which is quite useful for the industry.

The metal also prohibits growth of bacteria due to its smooth surface. Hence, stainless steel is the preferred choice of sectors like hospitals, food processing, rice mill, brewery, distillery, and pharmaceutical industries where hygiene plays an important role. Moreover, stainless steel offers lifestyle cost advantage since it is durable and a low maintenance material. It is easily recyclable and has a better end-of-life scrap value.