KOLKATA: Although India has a potential to export refined ricebran oil, it cannot be tapped in the absence of Codex standards for RBO.
To facilitate exports, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India, has urged the ministries of health and consumer affairs, food and public distribution to jointly take up this matter before the London-based Codex committee to evolve universally accepted quality standards for refined RBO.
The country has a potential to produce 10 lakh tonnes of RBO. But solvent extractors and refiners have been able to process just two lakh tonnes as refined RBO.
B V Mehta, executive director of SEA said, the potential of the oil can be harnessed further if opportunities could be created to export it to Japan, China, South Korea, Thailand and the USA, where the oil is the staple cooking medium.
``But in the absence of Codex standards, India cannot initiate exports to these countries. The refined RBO is in great demand in these countries because it does not increase the cholesterol level in the human body. Countries like Japan, South Korea and Thailand have switched over to the oil while the rest are gradually increasing its consumption. For being heart-friendly, it is called heart oil in Japan,'' Mehta said. The SEA has placed some more proposals to the government to improve the oil's production. It has urged the finance ministry to waive 16% excise duty on acid oil and fatty acid, which are by-products of free fatty acid (FFA).
``The reduced tax burden will goad RBO producers to produce more. Solvent extractors process up to 20% FFA in RBO to upgrade the quality of the oil,'' Mehta said.
In another proposal, it has urged the health ministry to amend the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, allowing to retain 4.5% un-saponified (un-sap) matters in the refined RBO. Currently, up to 3% unsap matters are permissible in the oil.
SEA wants the amendment to bring the Indian standard at par with the Japanese norm, which allows un-sap matters up to 4.5 per cent in the oil.
The industry wants to raise un-sap matters in the refined RBO to make the oil more nutrient as these matters consist of nutrients like oryzanol, squalene, tocopherols and tocotrienols.