Frequently Asked Questions

Sempulam does not own any farm land. The source of the rice varieties procured by us are – CIKS farm and farms of share holders of various farmer producer companies promoted by CIKS in various parts of Tamil Nadu. Certain special rices are also procured by us from other areas such as – Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur.

WHY IS YOUR PRICE HIGHER SOMETIMES COMPARED TO CERTAIN OTHER SELLERS?

For many products there may be a range of prices for purchases from various sources. For example, one can buy a pair of foot wear for anything ranging from Rs.100/ pair to Rs.10,000/ pair. this variation can be due to several reasons such as -

• Differences in raw material – plastic, rubber, leather and these can be of various qualities

• Method of manufacture

• Overall appearance, finish, and quality

• Sometimes these may meet special needs such as footwear for –walking, running, sportspersons, diabetics, etc...

• Based on various of the above they may also have varied shelf life – some may have to be replaced within a few months and others may serve as for several years

• Sometimes prices are also high since a product is promoted by advertisement in various ways and the consumer may be willing to give a greater price because of advertisement value.

Similarly if you look at rice from various sources which are priced differently there may be several reasons including -

• The source material/seeds used for cultivation

• The manner of cultivation – use of chemical / organic inputs, preparation of land, etc

• Post harvest processing, storage and handling

• Packaging

• Taste

• Influence of advertisement

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As you can see a product may be sold in the market for a higher price and these may be for a variety of reasons.

HOW CAN WE BELIEVE THAT ALL PRODUCTS CERTIFIED ARE 100% ORGANIC?

(We can provide some examples such as the following .....)
 

• Organic certification is a – “Process certification” and as per the current legal framework certification takes place by a – “Third party” – namely not the producer or the consumer but by an accredited certification body which certifies products as per standards which are spelt out by a regulatory authority. We can understand this by the following two examples.

• A statement of accounts of a company is certified by a Chartered Accountant (CA). The CA is a professional who examines the documents and records of a company as per accounting standards that are accepted and publicly known.

• When we hire a car from a travel agent, we would like to make sure that the driver is competent and trained to drive a car. How do we know that someone can actually drive a car properly? in practice we can check if the person has a valid driver's license and verify – is the identity given in the license correct, is it valid as on date and does it permit the person to drive the specific kind of vehicle (Car, Van, Bus, Etc...). In general, this is a practical method based on the understanding that RTO (Road Transport Organisation) which issues a driver's license has a specific procedure to screen applications and test if someone is competent to drive a vehicle before the license is issued. Of course, we can have a doubt – “Does this person really know how to drive or has he got a license by paying a bribe?”. Normally we would take it that a driving license is properly obtained unless we have a specific reason to suspect that there is some fraud.

• With respect to organic certification of products, we may say that some systems are still evolving and while there is scope for improvement in general if a product has an organic. certificate it can be believed it to be organic.

YOUR PACKAGING IS DONE IN PLASTIC COVERS, WOULD THIS NOT HARM OUR HEALTH?

For packaging, we make use of plastic of food grade and quality which is permitted by the government regulations.

CAN YOU NOT USE OTHER MATERIAL FOR PACKING OTHER THAN PLASTICS

We are currently using food-grade plastic since it is one of the materials into which rice can be vacuum sealed and this ensures long shelf life and protection from pest attacks. Vacuum packing can also be done using some other materials such as aluminum but if rice is packed in these materials the contents cannot be seen from outside. Customers prefer to see the colour and appearance of the grain. While it is possible to pack the rice in materials such as cloth, jute, etc  it would have the following limitations – the shelf life will be limited, possibilities of breakage and
damage during transport are high etc.

DO YOU HAVE BOTH RAW AND BOILED RICE?

Some varieties are traditionally used only as raw rice or only as parboiled rice while some can be used both ways. We have a large variety of both raw and boiled rice.

HOW SHOULD I COOK THIS RICE? ARE THERE ANY COOKING INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN? HAVE YOU PROVIDED ANY RECIPES?

Yes, some of these suggestions can be found on the packaging as well as on our website.