Kampala — A rice training centre that will introduce a new rice technology has been set up in Namulonge, with the help of expertise from Japan.

The technology introduces a mobile pop rice machine, called a puffed cereal machine. According to Kisho Miyamoto, a Japanese promoter of the new technology at Namulonge research centre, the technology has been used in Japan for over 100 years.

Miyamoto said the machine can also pop maize, millet and sorghum and can be run using charcoal, gas or electricity. "Pop rice is a popular snack and breakfast cereal in several Asian countries," Miyamoto added.

"We are promoting rice as a way of ensuring food security," Naphtal Anguzu, a technician with Japan International Corporation Agency, said.