Miller Magazine Issue: 153 September 2022

78 COVER STORY MILLER / SEPTEMBER 2022 The International Rice Milling Academy (IRMA) is based at Bühler’s Application Center in Bengaluru – a state-of-the-art facility for conducting machine and product trials and creating new applications for old processes. It houses the entire line of paddy-to-rice processing, making it the only place in the world where participants can learn rice pro- cessing in a real-life environment. Creating experts at the International Rice Milling Academy Rajat Ramesh Product Manager Rice Head of International Rice Milling Academy Rice is consumed by almost 50% of the world's popula- tion every day, which makes it the most important global food staple. As we move towards making our planet more sustainable in terms of conserving our natural resourc- es, the International Rice Milling Academy (IRMA) aims to inspire professionals to shape the future of the rice pro- cessing industry. IRMA is the world's only dedicated rice processing academy, and is powered by Bühler Group. Es- tablished in 2019, the academy has taught participants from large, well-established rice mills right through to start-ups, creating a diverse community of certified experts that are highly sought-after in the industry worldwide. Application Center: Home of IRMA IRMA is based at Bühler’s Application Center in Ben- galuru – a state-of-the-art facility for conducting machine and product trials and creating new applications for old processes. It houses the entire line of paddy-to-rice pro- cessing, making it the only place in the world where partic- ipants can learn rice processing in a real-life environment. The facility is equipped to provide a comprehensive under- standing of all the critical elements of rice processing, such as the importance of rice quality measurement as it has a direct impact on the end consumer. The center’s analytical lab facility provides participants with a range of techniques to measure rice quality, and they can also learn about in- novations such as automation systems and next-genera- tion products in line with the latest artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. In-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with these technologies enable rice mill operators and operations managers to improve their mills' overall efficiency and productivity, as well as helping them comply with increasingly important local and interna- tional food safety regulations – something that’s vital in the import-export trades. World-class trainers Rice processing is an industry that has evolved over sev- eral decades and is now transforming with the advent of new technologies that leverage data. The industry and its stakeholders need to be ready to adapt to the new genera- tion of machines and processes to enable better end-prod- uct quality and higher processing accuracy, whilst also min- imizing waste, water and energy usage. It’s essential that