Mysore/Mysuru: The Foundation stone for the ambitious project of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR-CFTRI) — Global Centre for Rice Technology (GCRT) — was laid in the premises of CFTRI residential quarters in MG Halli, along Kalidasa Road (close to Chandrakala Hospital) here yesterday. Speaking as the chief guest on the occasion, Sid Mukherjee, MD, Silicon Road, said that it is a very important project for all of us as ‘Rice’ is consumed by 50 percent of the global population.

Pointing out that the Centre would establish the missing vital link between the Rice milling sector and academia, he added that the Centre would go a long way in making the country stronger and self-sufficient. 

Stating that this is going to be a world-class training Institute, Mukherjee said that the Centre will be of great help in preparing Rice Mills for the future.

CFTRI Director Dr. KSMS Raghava Rao, who also spoke on the occasion, said that the GCRT is coming up at an estimated cost of about Rs.30 crore. The Centre will train Rice Mill owners, Mill operators and all others concerned, he said and added that as far as his knowledge, there is no such ‘School’ anywhere else in the country.

The CFTRI Director further said that the GCRT will be a collaborative venture between CFTRI, Mysuru, Buhler India (P) Ltd., Bengaluru and APIT (Agri Process Innovations Technologies), Bengaluru. While Buhler India, which helped setting up of the International School of Milling Technology at CFTRI, will provide machinery for the GCRT, CFTRI will provide knowledge input and APIT will provide all the other necessary infrastructure, he said.

Pointing out that the countries surrounding peninsular India were major rice producing and consuming countries, the CFTRI Director said that Rice Milling Industry has come a long way and the previous decade has witnessed large scale investments in the sector.

Continuing, he said that GCRT’s goal includes setting up of a world class Institute to provide customised training for different category of personnel and for durations, focussing on entire gamut of Rice milling, including by-product utilisation, setting up a rice analytical laboratory for the benefit of the Industry and linking up Pre-harvest and Post-harvest Technological Institutes to provide a complete and comprehensive solution to the Rice Industry.

Noting that qualified personnel is the need of the hour and also key for conserving rice, especially at a time when rice is in great demand as a food source across the world, the CFTRI Director said that the Centre will also focus on implementation of ‘Swachh Bharat’ in Rice Mills.

A. Srinivas and A. Jaydeep,  faculty, Department of Grain Science and Technology, CFTRI, Dr. S.Z. Ali, former faculty, Shashikumar Thimmaiah, Managing Director of APIT, Bengaluru, Prashanth Gokhale, Managing Director, Buhler India, Bengaluru and others were present.