The technology was developed to reduce drudgery, the risk of heat burns and exposure to smoke to the operator who are mostly women. The GEM parboiling technology was co-developed with women from the Glazoue Innovation Platform (IP) in Benin. The GEM parboiling technology is suitable for both rainfed and irrigated ecologies but itâs profitability is higher in irrigated ecology due to reduced brown to black spots on paddy.
The cost of the technology will depend on the components and the scale of operation. The GEM parboiling technology can be tailor for small (20-300kg), medium (300-1000kg) and large (1000-3000kg) scale processors. These surfaces have walkways that prevent users from walking directly on the drying surfaces to reduce contamination.
The improved drying surfaces are cemented floors that have a 5% slope and raised 50cm from the ground. The laborsaving devices are either a rotational hoist or a chain hoist system for paddy weights less than 50 kg or paddy weights between 50â≁00kg respectively. The stoves protect the user from heat and smoke exposure. The stove is an improved rocket stove made of baked clay bricks with special ventilation. The paddy soaking tank is made from stainless tank with a false bottom, a water discharge point and a paddy discharge point. The tank is closed by a tight fitting lid that reduces heat loss but the system is not pressurized. During steaming, boiling water in the tank produces vapor that steams the paddy in the mesh basket. The parboiler consists of a stainless steel mesh basket that sits on a support in a stainless steel tank. GEM Parboiling installation in Bukan-Sidi-Lafia Rice Innovation Platform, Nassarawa State, Nigeria (AfricaRice, 2016, Ndindeng et al. The GEM parboiling technology is not only about the equipment but also the process. When the quantity of paddy to be parboiled is more than 50kg per session, other components (paddy soaking tank, laborsaving devices and improved drying surface) are required. An improved parboiling technology called grain quality-enhancer, energy efficient and durable material (GEM) parboiling technology combines the use of a uniform steam parboiler and an improved parboiling stove.