Lower maintenance and longer life cycle give stainless steel an edge over other materials.
Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA) organised a seminar on the ideal choice of material in rice mill plants in Burdwan. The event highlighted the growing corrosion and hygiene related concerns of the rice mill industry, thus emphasizing on the urgent need to shift to stainless steel in order to ensure a durable, healthy, and cost-effective raw material which is also low on maintenance.
“Corrosion and hygiene are the biggest challenges in the rice mill industry but they can be easily curbed with the use of stainless steel. Stainless steel is a low maintenance, corrosion free, easy to fabricate, and hygienic metal with a longer life cycle. I am confident that the rice mill industry will benefit economically with stainless steel solutions as corrosion related losses will reduce drastically”, said Shri SK Goel, Chief of Business Unit, Jindal Stainless Steelway Ltd.
India, being one of the world’s largest producers of rice, boasts of a significant rice milling market. East India accounts for the largest share of the rice milling market in the country, primarily due to the fact that this area is conducive for rice growth.
As per the Market Research Future report, Indian rice milling market is expected to value at an estimated USD 392.6 million by the end of 2022*. Rice millers are increasingly investing in modern and high-quality rice milling equipment to increase yield and quality of the final product. However, they face challenges of rapid corrosion of blades and other hygiene-related issues due to unused rice husk.
Stainless steel has a high resistance to corrosive media found in rice mill industry. This leads to a long life of the equipment and prevents wear and tear. The special high chromium and nickel – alloyed grades of the metal allow scaling and retain strength at high temperatures, which is quite useful for the industry.
The metal also prohibits growth of bacteria due to its smooth surface. Hence, stainless steel is the preferred choice of sectors like hospitals, food processing, rice mill, brewery, distillery, and pharmaceutical industries where hygiene plays an important role. Moreover, stainless steel offers lifestyle cost advantage since it is durable and a low maintenance material. It is easily recyclable and has a better end-of-life scrap value.
Along with Shri Sushil Chowdhary, President, Bengal Rice Mill Association, the event was attended by other dignitaries like Shri Abdul Malek, Working President, Burdwan District Rice Mill Association & Bengal Rice Mill Association; Shri Rohit Kumar, Executive Director, Indian Stainless Steel Development Association, and Shri Punjab Singh, a fabricator from Punjab.