BEIJING, :A new type of germinated brown rice developed in China is not only popular among the Chinese consumers but also very useful for rice growing and processing chain in Pakistan. This new type was developed by Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (HAAS) and was unveiled at the 3rd China Heilongjiang International Rice Festival.
At the festival, Ren Chuanying, an expert with the Institute of Food Sciences of HAAS, talking to media said both Heilongjiang province and Pakistan are important rice planting areas, according to China Economic Net (CEN) on Sunday. China and Pakistan are close all-weather cooperative partners whereas HAAS is very concerned about the food security of friendly countries along Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) while boosting the development of local agriculture.
“The germinated brown rice simply requires the rice to be sprouted according to specific processes. It has low requirements for rice quality, low technical threshold and low investment. It is very suitable for Pakistan,” Ren maintained. “There is a food shortage in Pakistan and locust plague and floods have further exacerbated the situation in 2020. If this variety of brown rice could be imported to Pakistan, the rice growing and processing chain in Pakistan can save crops about 20% and reduce processing costs about 20%,” she said.
The technical core of the new germinated brown rice is to improve its taste. Ren said, “The germinated brown rice retains a lot of water and nutrients, which improves the taste.”
Nowsherwan Zarif, a Pakistani doctor at Northeast Forestry University (NEFU) in China said that such new germinated brown rice will be very popular in Pakistan. “If it can be incorporated into the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) agricultural cooperation project, new germinated brown rice will alleviate the food shortage in Pakistan, improve the dietary structure of the Pakistani people and boost the development of rice industry in Pakistan,” he added.
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