As a main source of nourishment for over half the world's population, rice is by far one of the most important commercial food crops. We in RICWAL strive to provide the best quality rice to our customers and it is totally organic.

​

The entire process of what actually happens in an Industry can be seen here. We would like to be transparent to our customers and provide them with all the processing info. So that they would get an idea of how a grain is made into Rice.

​

4 pounds of cooked whole grains provides about 1600 calories. Thus, while whole grains are more calorie dense than vegetables and fruits, they are much less calorie dense than nuts, seeds, cheese, processed cereals, chips, steak, sausage, baked goods, etc.

Before modern agriculture, grain intake was varied and sparse due to crop yield variations and limited food transportation.

Now, many people consume a grain-rich food — usually a refined grain — at nearly every meal. They might have a pastry for breakfast, pretzels for a snack, bread for lunch, pasta for dinner, and cake for dessert. Holy excessive grain intake!

​

Whole grains contain fiber. Fiber is a critical component of health.

The subtraction of fiber from our diet is likely a major source of chronic disease. Low fiber intake has been linked to constipation, hemorrhoids, appendicitis, diverticulitis, polyps, and cancers. (Still, other cultures, such as indigenous Arctic people, have survived just fine without high levels of fiber.)

Because fiber is not digestible, just 89% of the typical primitive diet was available for energy. Compare that to 93% in the modern diet.

​

Enriching

The milling process that produces white rice also removes much of the vitamins and minerals found primarily in the outer bran layers. Further processing is often done in order to restore the nutrients to the grain. Once complete, the rice is called converted rice.

• 14 White rice is converted in one of two ways. Prior to milling, the rice is steeped under pressure in order to transfer all the vitamins and minerals from the bran layers to the kernel itself. Once done, the rice is steamed, dried, and then milled. Rice that has already been milled can be submersed in a vitamin and mineral bath that coats the grains. Once soaked, they are dried and mixed with unconverted rice.

Quality Control

Quality control practices vary with the size and location of each farm. Large commercial rice farms in the United States more often than not apply the most effective combination of herbicides, fertilization, crop rotation, and newest farming equipment to optimize their yields. Smaller, less mechanized operations are more likely to be influenced by traditional cultural methods of farming rather than high technology. Certainly, there are benefits to both approaches and a union of the two is ideal. Rotating crops during consecutive years is a traditional practice that encourages large yield as is the planting of hardier seed varieties developed with the help of modern hybridization practices.

Byproducts/Waste

Straw from the harvested rice plants is used as bedding for livestock. Oil extracted from discarded rice bran is used in livestock feed. Hulls are used to produce mulch that will eventually be used to recondition the farm soil.

The essential use of irrigation, flooding, and draining techniques in rice farming also produces runoff of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers into natural water systems. The extensive use of water in rice farming also increases its level of methane emissions. Rice farming is responsible for 14% of total global methane emissions.