ZaccariaUSA is having great success helping rice farmers build successful rice mills all across the world. Building a rice mill is no easy feat and, depending on your milling goals, could be quite the undertaking. Other than the normal questions about building a rice mill such as how much does it cost, how long will it take to build it, and how many people do I need to hire to operate it, there are very significant topics that you should ponder that will help guide you through your rice milling system.
1. Am I going to produce brown rice or white rice or both?
2. How many TPH (tons per hour) is my rice mill going to produce?
3. Am I concerned more with quality or quantity? This will help guide you on purchasing machinery that focuses on either high quality milling yields or faster volume milling lines.
4. If I mill white rice, do I need an enrichment applicator? Most bags of white rice sold in supermarkets have been enriched to put nutrients back onto the rice grain after the bran has been removed.
5. What kind of pre-cleaners and cleaners should I take a look at? The majority of rice millers are concerned with getting straw and metal and other foreign objects out of their paddy rice.
6. What are my packaging solutions? Am I going to bag my rice in 1-2 pound individual “identity preserved” bags or am I more concerned with packaging large 25-125 pound bulk bags that are sewn shut?
7. What are the electrical requirements to run your mill? This is important because you have to know the correct electrical requirements for ordering the proper motors for your rice milling equipment.
8. What are my quality control procedures? You’ll want to evaluate your milling process throughout the complete line to ensure that you are not over or under milling, that your rolls are still husking efficiently, that your paddy is getting cleaned properly, etc.
9. Who am I going to sell my rice to? It is important to know your end buyer so that you can tailor your rice mill to meet their specifications. The end buyer could be individual consumers, supermarkets, boutique stores, restaurants, or even foreign countries.
There will be many other questions along the way, but we’re sure that this will give you a good head start and put you on the fast track to your first rice mill.
Zaccaria Brazil