Notes to Broadcasters on maize for beer:
Date Posted: February 25th, 2008
A quick Internet search revealed to us that the use of maize in beer is nothing new. It seems that, for generations, cultures in all parts of the world have been using maize – and just about any other available grain – to make beer. In fact, this is Bralirwa brewery’s second experiment with using a local grain in its product. (It had previously used sorghum, but found the supply of this grain was unreliable.)
However, the Bralirwa brewery cites a new and emerging issue in its decision to use locally-available grain and reduce its dependence on imported products. Prices for inputs are on the rise, it notes, especially because the growing bio-fuels industry is increasing global demand for bio-mass, such as sugar and grains, which can be converted to fuel.
You may wish to invite representatives from local farmer organizations and/or economics experts for an on-air discussion about how the growing demand for grains by non-food industries affects small-scale farmers. Questions to ask may include:
-How has the demand and price for grain products changed in the last five years? How is it expected to change in the next five or 10 years?
-What are the opportunities in your area for growing grains for non-food uses?
-Have farmers in your area changed their practices in response to changes in demand for grain? What are some of the factors they should take into account before altering their crop distribution?
For more information on how the Rwandan government and Bralirwa brewery are responding to the dynamics of grain demand, you may refer to the following reports:
-Maize imports to reduce (The New Times), a news report of the Rwandan government’s announcement that it plans to support farmers to increase maize yields:
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200802120250.html
-Bralirwa brewery to install bio-power plant to dispose of brewery waste (Global Malt), a report on one of the brewery’s other innovations in response to higher input costs:
http://www.globalmalt.de/joomla1011/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=327&Itemid=64
