Chia Meng cooks up ready-to-eat germinated brown rice

       Chia Meng Rice Group, the country's leading rice trader and exporter, plans tolaunch ready-to-eat GABA, or germinated brown rice, as the latest innovation in Thailand's rice industry.
       Under the "Golden Phoenix Ready Rice" brand, the product offers cooked GABA rice in a microwavable container with a lengthy shelf-life of up to two years, said Vasana Manathanya, brand and marketing manager of Chia Meng's subsidiary, Bangsue Chia Meng Rice Mill Co."The product is aimed at healthconscious target groups and a choice for consumers' demand for new lifestyle products," she said.
       The company plans to market GABA rice in November after receiving approval from the Food and Drug Administration.Health stores, premium retail outlets and direct sales are key selling channels.Chia Meng Group may also export the rice, especially to Asian markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
       Since the product employs advanced know-how, its retail prices will be high,at about 30 to 35 baht for a 180-gramme cup, or three times the price of normal rice.
       Gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA is naturally produced by soaking brown rice in water for about four to six hours.Researchers have found that GABA has health benefits, helping lower blood pressure, improve kidney function and treat insomnia.
       Chia Meng last week also launched a range of nutritious rice under the V-Life brand to tap into the growing market for healthy grain products among Thai consumers.
       The healthy rice market is a strong niche market worth about 450 million baht this year and expected to rise to 1 billion in the next few years, said Sopan Manathanya, president of Chia Meng Marketing Co.
       The company now has about 50 million baht in sales in the segment, giving it an 11% share. The products are aimed at upper-end buyers with strong purchasing power.
       "V-Life products will help increase our sales income to about 100 million baht and raise the market share to 20%by the year-end," said Mrs Sopan.
       The Rice Department expects to see more varieties of healthy rice enter the market soon to offer health benefits and add value to the grain.
       Several varieties of nutritious rice including rice mixed with vitamins, herbcoated rice and GABA rice - have been offered in recent years to tap the growth,said Laddawan Kunnoot, director of the Bureau of Rice Products Development.
       Although this is a niche market compared with about 10 million tonnes of rice consumed locally each year, the department supports any developments that will eventually increase income for farmers, says Ms Laddawan."It's a winwin for all sides," she said.
       The department has regularly conducted research and development for innovations to rice and is willing to share its findings with manufacturers for commercial development, she added.