04/09/13: More mills accused of paddy embezzlement; Evonik opens animal feed centre in Singapore; GEAPS members pass grain management test

Two more rice mills in India have been accused of being involved in embezzling government paddy worth Rs. 7 crore.

Officials from the Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Markfed lodged a criminal case against Goyal Rice and General Mill's owner Kewal Krishan and Amit Kumar, owner of the Gaurav Rice and General Mill of Dharamkot.

The accusations were originally made in July 2013 and investigations are underway into two different mills.
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Evonik Industries has opened its first analytical centre for animal feed in South Asia. Located in Singapore, this multi-million US dollar investment will complement the specialty chemicals company network of analytical centre for feed amino acids in Hanau (Germany) and Beijing (China).

The analytical centre will provide the full range of powerful amino acid analytical services to regional and global feed manufacturers thus maximizing the nutritional value of their feed. In depth analysis of amino acid concentration in feed ingredients benchmarked against the requirements of different animals allows feed manufacturer to select the best suitable ingredients, to provide more consistent quality in feed, and to increase the efficiency of their production.

"Asia is the fastest growing animal and feed production region of the world, and we felt it was essential to position this lab in Singapore in order to better support our customers in this important region," explained Dr Alfred Petri, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing in the Health & Nutrition Business Unit of Evonik, during today’s opening ceremony. "This investment drives our commitment of being a strategic partner to our customers." With this analytical center, Evonik has increased its technical presence in the region to a total of 20 nutritionists, chemists, and engineers, all dedicated to providing value-added technical services to the animal feed industry.
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The Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) have earned the first professional credential in the grain handling industry, the Credential in Grain Operations Management (CGOM) from the GEAPS/Kansas State University Distance Education Program.

To earn the CGOM, Cory Falke, Beachner Grain, Inc.; Calvin Kerr, Southpier Terminals; and John Rossman, Kokomo Grain, Inc. successfully completed an organized series of six online classes  developed by GEAPS and Kansas State University. The courses cover topics ranging from facilities planning, to materials handling, to grain quality management.

The Credentialing Program provides a formal training option to companies, and gives individuals a way to gain recognition and a competitive advantage in their careers. “Although experience is invaluable, industry-recognized training is one of the best ways to show … one’s knowledge [and] commitment to the job,” says Rossman, an operations manager.

All courses in the programme were developed by industry professionals and are based on current industry practices and standards, providing real-world expertise. “I’ll be using the knowledge daily in practically every aspect of my job,” says Kerr, also an operations manager. Falke agrees that the courses have helped him to excel in his career. “I refer back to the course materials regularly. The knowledge gained in the material handling courses has been extremely useful in troubleshooting equipment problems and … making specification decisions on new equipment.”

Rice Diversity. Part of the image collection of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)