Rice sector stands a chance to boost value thanks to by-products
Vietnam, a leading rice producer and exporter in the world, has a chance to earn higher value from the grain by capitalising on by-products.
Talking to visiting Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam, Murai Hiromichi, President of the Nagoya-based Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical company, said rice bran oil generates US$320 - 350 per tonne in value while compounds obtained during oil extraction are used in 70 nutritional and beauty care products.
He noted rice oil is a popular product in Japan and other developed countries, adding that each tonne of bran can bring about US$2,000 - 3,000 or higher in value if it is maximised.
Making a recent fact-finding tour of the factory of Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical, Deputy Minister Nam said applying technology to produce high-value products from rice bran could be an answer to the question of how to help rice farmers in Vietnam raise income.
In 2021, the country produced about 44 million tonnes of rice, which generated about 8 million tonnes of bran.
Prof. Tran Dang Xuan from the Hiroshima University held that Vietnam should step up research and cooperation with Japan and other developed countries to soon make use of the values of agricultural by-products, especially from rice.