Feasibility Study on Adapting Biomass Powered Rice Dryer for Rice Farmers in Sabah, Malaysia

我们的项目是进行一项可行性研究，以确定是否有可能将我们公司的生物质动力水稻干燥服务适用于马来西亚各州的手工稻农。我们的公司Rice Inc是一家社会企业，其使命是通过为小农提供可持续农业技术来帮助他们摆脱贫困。东南亚70%的农民陷入贫困，因为他们无法获得适当的收获后技术，并使用传统技术来干燥，储存和碾磨稻米，导致高达30%的稻米浪费。例如，收获后晒干的水稻约占损失的一半（15%）。我们目前在缅甸的莱巴丹经营一家水稻干燥服务，为农民提供生物质动力的水稻干燥机，按使用付费模式。同样，马来西亚各地的小农户由于无法获得适当的农业技术而面临系统性贫困。然而，他们种植的大米是非常独特的，但尚未开发，因为大米可以在马来西亚城市的零售价格高出300%，但由于贫困造成的高浪费，他们卖得很少。因此，我们的项目是进行一项可行性研究，以调整我们的生物质动力水稻干燥机，并为整个沙巴和马来西亚其他州的手工稻农提供服务，以帮助他们减少损失，他们的收入。这包括在马来西亚与农民进行实地研究，以确定挑战和市场条件。与合作伙伴、技术专家和制造商讨论如何适应我们的技术。这个想法是创新的，因为它很可能使其商业可行，我们将不得不调整我们的技术，例如，减少我们的干燥机的容量或使其从固定的结构移动的，这需要技术创新。此外，我们可能需要创新我们的商业模式，例如从按使用付费模式改为租赁模式，以使其在经济上可行。如果成功，农民将能够以可持续的方式增加手工稻米产量并赚取更多收入，并获得更好的农业技术。最后，作为一家公司，我们将能够获得一个新的地区进行扩张，并可能对我们现有的服务和技术进行新的变化，以供未来使用。

Our project is to conduct a feasibility study on whether or not it is possible to adapt our company's biomass powered rice drying service to the artisanal rice farmers based throughout the states of Malaysia. Our company, Rice Inc is a social enterprise on a mission to empower smallholder rice farmers out of poverty by providing them with sustainable agritech.70% of farmers in Southeast Asia are stuck in poverty because they lack access to proper post-harvest technology and use traditional techniques to dry, store and mill rice which results in up to 30% of it wasted. For example, sun-drying of rice after harvest causes about half this loss (15%). We currently run a rice drying service in Letpadan, Myanmar with biomass powered rice dryers with a pay-per-use model for farmers. This reduces their losses and provides them a higher quality crop.Similarly, smallholder artisanal farmers throughout Malaysia face systemic poverty due to a lack of access to proper agriculture technologies. However, the rice they grow is extremely unique but is untapped as the rice can retail in urban Malaysia at prices 300% higher but they sell very little due to the high wastage caused by poverty.Hence, our project is to conduct a feasibility study on adapting our biomass powered rice dryers and service for the artisanal rice farmers throughout Sabah and other states of Malaysia to help them reduce their losses and increase their income. This includes studies on the ground in Malaysia with the farmers to identify challenges and market conditions. Speaking with partners, technical experts and manufacturers on adapting our technology. This idea is innovative because it is likely to make it commercial viable, we would have to adapt our technology for example, reducing the capacity of our dryers or making it mobile from it's stationary structure which requires technological innovations. Furthermore, we might have to innovate our business models such as changing from a pay-per-use model to rent to own models to make it financially viable.If successful, farmers would be able to increase their artisanal rice output and earn more income in a sustainable way and get access to better farming technology. Finally as a company, we would be able to get a new region for expansion and potentially new variations of our existing service and technology that can be used for the future.