Promoting ChakhaoA strategic approach to marketing Manipur's unique Black Rice
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Dr Leishangthem Jeebit Singh and Dr Gayatri Khangjarakpam
Contd from previous issue
4. Diabetes and Obesity Prevention: Compared to refined carbohydrates, whole grain consumption, such as Chakhao, offers fibres, antioxidants and nutrients that interrupt rapid sugar absorption, reducing postprandial hyperglycemia. Anthocyanins further minimize starch digestion by inhibiting a-glucosidase and a-amylase, contributing to Type 2 diabetes treatment.
5. Gluten-Free: It poses no risk to those with Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or wheat allergy, allowing digestion to proceed unimpeded.
6. Disease Prevention: Its abundant antioxidants can assist in the prevention and management of severe health conditions like atherosclerosis, hypertension, arthritis, allergies, Alzheimer’s disease, and more.
7. Alternative Health Food: With significant contributions of dietary fibre, vitamins B and E, niacin, and minerals such as iron, calcium, manganese, zinc, it constitutes a robust dietary selection.
Distinctiveness of Chakhao among Sea of Black/Purple Rice
While there are more than 200 types of purple/black rice, primarily concentrated in Asian countries, the emphasis is needed on the popularisation of Chakhao, a distinct black rice variety. There's a looming risk of its admixture or misbranding alongside other black rice types. Chakhao's recent GI registration offers a form of protection against such issues to a certain degree by authenticating its provenance and offering intellectual property rights to its traditional growers, ensuring that consumers receive the genuine product. However, there is always a competitive environment spurred by other black rice variants. Thus, a pressing need exists to characterise Chakhao against these varieties distinctly on various fronts. Ranging from its unique aroma to its nutritional constituents or even its specific genetic markers, these elements serve as defining traits, differentiating Chakhao from the rest. Enhancing the Chakhao value chain provides a strategic path to develop its competitiveness favourably. Improvement in farming practices, fostering alliances with local farmers and promoting scientific research for its variety development and post-harvest management techniques can serve as a comprehensive pillar for the same. Moreover, delving into the health benefits associated with Chakhao, such as its anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-diabetic properties, offer an impressive appeal to health-conscious consumers. These health benefits can act as paramount driving factors, thus expanding its potential market. Thus, promoting Chakhao's unique attributes can create a compelling narrative towards its appeal, benefiting both traders and consumers in the long run.
Research Interventions Required in Chakhao
Leveraging Chakhao's potential needs a solid scientific base, yet the current R&D on this crop is limited. Applying standard R&D methods poses a challenge due to its unique growing conditions and quality issues when cultivated else- where. This demands original research from scientists and involvement of farmers. Areas to explore for accessing Chakhao's untapped potential include:
1. Development of improved varieties: Around 20 Chakhao rice varieties, such as 'Poireiton,' 'Amubi,' 'Sempak,' and 'Arangbi' are grown in Manipur, but their low yields and susceptibility to weather conditions make them less economical. High-yielding, shorter varieties of Chakhao need to be developed using conventional or advanced breeding techniques. This should maintain or enhance the rice's unique aromatic and sticky qualities, increasing cultivation and profitability for farmers.
2. Supply of quality seeds: Quality seeds play a crucial role in enhancing crop productivity and ensuring sustainable cultivation. Current practices of seed production among farmers lack standardization, wrongly preserving seeds for subsequent seasons, and overlooking important steps like seed certification. This results in potential contamination and inconsistency. Similarly, scientific methods including rouging and storing seed grains safely against environmental factors or pests need to be standardized. Solving these issues is crucial for maintaining the genetic and physical purity of seeds.
3. Scientific package of practices: It is cultivated by traditionally without the application of synthetic agro- chemicals. There is a general experience among the farmers that the plant being a tall variety has higher lodging chances with the use of fertilizers. The farmers also lack the use of motorized implements to carry out various cultural practices. The indigenous farmers’ technology practise since time immemorial should be properly studied and improvised. Complete packages of practise from nursery preparation, land preparation, transplanting, planting, weeding, irrigation, nutrition, plant protection, etc. with a cost benefit analysis need to be developed. The package of practices for can be standardised for both conventional and organic cultivation to increase the yield without compromising the quality of the harvested grains.
4. Post harvest quality management: Postharvest losses in grains during harvest, handling, processing, and transportation can result from scattering, crushing, physico-chemical deterioration, pest infestation, and mycotoxin contamination. Understanding the supply chain and identifying causative factors at each stage is key. Important areas for postharvest quality management include:
a. Modified Milling Process: Chakhao, a unique rice variety, requires a distinct milling technique owing to its anthocyanin content and higher moisture levels. Regular milling results in nutrient loss and quality depletion. Thus, development of a new milling technology to preserve its quality is imperative.
b. Advanced Grading and Sorting: Chakhao currently lacks quality grading and suffers from inconsistency issues. Advanced AI-based grading and sorting technologies can improve efficiency and maintain high quality standard needed for global marketing.
c. Innovative Storage and Packaging: Chakhao's storage faces issues like pest infestation and environmental conditions, limiting its shelf life. New techniques for storage, packaging, moisture management, and technology specific to Chakhao's needs could extend shelf life and maintain quality—promising areas for further research.
5. Product Innovation and Development: Consumers generally have a preference for firm and non-sticky rice grains, which differs from the characteristics of Chakhao. As a result, this variety of rice is not commonly consumed on a regular basis like white rice. The unique qualities of Chakhao, including its longer cooking time and tendency to become sticky when soaked in water, may be unfamiliar to many new consumers. Hence, it becomes necessary to create value-added products that cater to the convenience needs of these new consumers.
- Developing value-added products, such as cakes, flaked rice, bread, noodles, and rice powder, to increase variety in food choices and make Chakhao a part of everyday consumption.
- Chakhao rice bran oil: Exploring the potential of rice bran oil due to its superior nutritional content. This can provide a healthy alternative to other edible oils.
- Anthocyanin extracts: Tapping into its high anthocyanin content to produce antioxidative phytochemicals. This can be used in the production of nutraceuticals, functional food products, dietary supplements, and natural dyes.
6. Waste utilisation: Waste from Chakhao rice milling like broken rice, rice germ, husks, and bran offers several reuse possibilities. Waste utilization not only benefits environment but also adds economic value.
- Rice husk: Can be converted into fuel, used for electricity production, soil fertilization, animal feed, among other uses.
- Broken rice: Utilized in the production of value-added food products such as flour.
- Rice bran: Rich in vitamins and ?-oryzanol, it's an ideal ingredient for pastries and baked goods; also used to produce defatted rice bran and edible rice bran wax.
Marketing Strategies
Marketing includes understanding customer needs, developing products to meet those needs, setting a profitable and attractive price, and placing the product where the customer can easily buy it. It also includes informing customers about the product and overseeing the entire sales process. Crucially, marketing involves highlighting a product's unique features, requiring product positioning.
(To be contd)
Contd from previous issue
4. Diabetes and Obesity Prevention: Compared to refined carbohydrates, whole grain consumption, such as Chakhao, offers fibres, antioxidants and nutrients that interrupt rapid sugar absorption, reducing postprandial hyperglycemia. Anthocyanins further minimize starch digestion by inhibiting a-glucosidase and a-amylase, contributing to Type 2 diabetes treatment.
5. Gluten-Free: It poses no risk to those with Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or wheat allergy, allowing digestion to proceed unimpeded.
6. Disease Prevention: Its abundant antioxidants can assist in the prevention and management of severe health conditions like atherosclerosis, hypertension, arthritis, allergies, Alzheimer’s disease, and more.
7. Alternative Health Food: With significant contributions of dietary fibre, vitamins B and E, niacin, and minerals such as iron, calcium, manganese, zinc, it constitutes a robust dietary selection.
Distinctiveness of Chakhao among Sea of Black/Purple Rice
While there are more than 200 types of purple/black rice, primarily concentrated in Asian countries, the emphasis is needed on the popularisation of Chakhao, a distinct black rice variety. There's a looming risk of its admixture or misbranding alongside other black rice types. Chakhao's recent GI registration offers a form of protection against such issues to a certain degree by authenticating its provenance and offering intellectual property rights to its traditional growers, ensuring that consumers receive the genuine product. However, there is always a competitive environment spurred by other black rice variants. Thus, a pressing need exists to characterise Chakhao against these varieties distinctly on various fronts. Ranging from its unique aroma to its nutritional constituents or even its specific genetic markers, these elements serve as defining traits, differentiating Chakhao from the rest. Enhancing the Chakhao value chain provides a strategic path to develop its competitiveness favourably. Improvement in farming practices, fostering alliances with local farmers and promoting scientific research for its variety development and post-harvest management techniques can serve as a comprehensive pillar for the same. Moreover, delving into the health benefits associated with Chakhao, such as its anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-diabetic properties, offer an impressive appeal to health-conscious consumers. These health benefits can act as paramount driving factors, thus expanding its potential market. Thus, promoting Chakhao's unique attributes can create a compelling narrative towards its appeal, benefiting both traders and consumers in the long run.
Research Interventions Required in Chakhao
Leveraging Chakhao's potential needs a solid scientific base, yet the current R&D on this crop is limited. Applying standard R&D methods poses a challenge due to its unique growing conditions and quality issues when cultivated else- where. This demands original research from scientists and involvement of farmers. Areas to explore for accessing Chakhao's untapped potential include:
1. Development of improved varieties: Around 20 Chakhao rice varieties, such as 'Poireiton,' 'Amubi,' 'Sempak,' and 'Arangbi' are grown in Manipur, but their low yields and susceptibility to weather conditions make them less economical. High-yielding, shorter varieties of Chakhao need to be developed using conventional or advanced breeding techniques. This should maintain or enhance the rice's unique aromatic and sticky qualities, increasing cultivation and profitability for farmers.
2. Supply of quality seeds: Quality seeds play a crucial role in enhancing crop productivity and ensuring sustainable cultivation. Current practices of seed production among farmers lack standardization, wrongly preserving seeds for subsequent seasons, and overlooking important steps like seed certification. This results in potential contamination and inconsistency. Similarly, scientific methods including rouging and storing seed grains safely against environmental factors or pests need to be standardized. Solving these issues is crucial for maintaining the genetic and physical purity of seeds.
3. Scientific package of practices: It is cultivated by traditionally without the application of synthetic agro- chemicals. There is a general experience among the farmers that the plant being a tall variety has higher lodging chances with the use of fertilizers. The farmers also lack the use of motorized implements to carry out various cultural practices. The indigenous farmers’ technology practise since time immemorial should be properly studied and improvised. Complete packages of practise from nursery preparation, land preparation, transplanting, planting, weeding, irrigation, nutrition, plant protection, etc. with a cost benefit analysis need to be developed. The package of practices for can be standardised for both conventional and organic cultivation to increase the yield without compromising the quality of the harvested grains.
4. Post harvest quality management: Postharvest losses in grains during harvest, handling, processing, and transportation can result from scattering, crushing, physico-chemical deterioration, pest infestation, and mycotoxin contamination. Understanding the supply chain and identifying causative factors at each stage is key. Important areas for postharvest quality management include:
a. Modified Milling Process: Chakhao, a unique rice variety, requires a distinct milling technique owing to its anthocyanin content and higher moisture levels. Regular milling results in nutrient loss and quality depletion. Thus, development of a new milling technology to preserve its quality is imperative.
b. Advanced Grading and Sorting: Chakhao currently lacks quality grading and suffers from inconsistency issues. Advanced AI-based grading and sorting technologies can improve efficiency and maintain high quality standard needed for global marketing.
c. Innovative Storage and Packaging: Chakhao's storage faces issues like pest infestation and environmental conditions, limiting its shelf life. New techniques for storage, packaging, moisture management, and technology specific to Chakhao's needs could extend shelf life and maintain quality—promising areas for further research.
5. Product Innovation and Development: Consumers generally have a preference for firm and non-sticky rice grains, which differs from the characteristics of Chakhao. As a result, this variety of rice is not commonly consumed on a regular basis like white rice. The unique qualities of Chakhao, including its longer cooking time and tendency to become sticky when soaked in water, may be unfamiliar to many new consumers. Hence, it becomes necessary to create value-added products that cater to the convenience needs of these new consumers.
- Developing value-added products, such as cakes, flaked rice, bread, noodles, and rice powder, to increase variety in food choices and make Chakhao a part of everyday consumption.
- Chakhao rice bran oil: Exploring the potential of rice bran oil due to its superior nutritional content. This can provide a healthy alternative to other edible oils.
- Anthocyanin extracts: Tapping into its high anthocyanin content to produce antioxidative phytochemicals. This can be used in the production of nutraceuticals, functional food products, dietary supplements, and natural dyes.
6. Waste utilisation: Waste from Chakhao rice milling like broken rice, rice germ, husks, and bran offers several reuse possibilities. Waste utilization not only benefits environment but also adds economic value.
- Rice husk: Can be converted into fuel, used for electricity production, soil fertilization, animal feed, among other uses.
- Broken rice: Utilized in the production of value-added food products such as flour.
- Rice bran: Rich in vitamins and ?-oryzanol, it's an ideal ingredient for pastries and baked goods; also used to produce defatted rice bran and edible rice bran wax.
Marketing Strategies
Marketing includes understanding customer needs, developing products to meet those needs, setting a profitable and attractive price, and placing the product where the customer can easily buy it. It also includes informing customers about the product and overseeing the entire sales process. Crucially, marketing involves highlighting a product's unique features, requiring product positioning.
(To be contd)