In lots of a growing nation, 25 to 50% of the entire grain worth is misplaced between the harvest and consumption, primarily on account of poor storage methods, farm degree wastage, and processing. This results in decrease incomes for farmers and better costs for patrons. Additional, there is a strain on farmers to extend the manufacturing ranges to achieve greater rice yields and so they find yourself utilizing extra land and fertilizers inflicting mass injury to the pure sources. This text goals at instructing you reduce grain losses and preserve rice high quality for longer storage intervals.
Step 1: Publish manufacturing administration
Publish manufacturing administration is all about deal with the rice; from the time it is harvested to the time it is offered. Numerous processes akin to slicing, hauling, cleansing and advertising and marketing the rice, and so forth. are concerned. It is notably vital as a result of it prevents each qualitative and quantitative loss and with a poor put up manufacturing administration, you are vulnerable to shedding as a lot as 50% of your whole yield.
Step 2: Harvesting
That is merely a strategy of accumulating the mature crop from the sector; in our case, rice. Harvesting begins with slicing the crop and ends after it has been ready to dry. It entails:
– Chopping
– Subject drying
– Hauling
– Piling
– Threshing
– Cleansing
– Packing (to ship it additional for drying)
Harvesting on the appropriate time ensures that you just get the utmost yield, diminishing high quality degeneration. There are, nonetheless, sure bodily losses one has to face throughout the harvesting operations. These are loosely primarily based on the operations and equipment used throughout harvesting. These losses:
– Happen throughout slicing
– Happen throughout threshing and
– Happen throughout grain handlings
To attenuate, it is vital that you just measure losses at every operation of harvesting and work upon it.
Step 3: Drying
Essentially the most essential operation as soon as by means of the harvest, drying reduces the grain’s moisture content material to a secure degree ideally suited for storing it for longer durations. Moisture laden grain is vulnerable to discolouration, improvement of molds and pest infestation. It additionally reduces the seed’s charge of germination, thus diminishing the general grain high quality. It occurs while you:
– Wait too lengthy earlier than you start drying
– Do not dry it lengthy sufficient, no matter be your function
– Flawed methods
Ideally, it is best to start drying inside 24 hours after the harvest. The grains needs to be dried right down to totally different Moisture Content material (MC) for various functions.
– 14% or much less MC for storing up to a couple months
– 13% or much less MC to retailer for 8 to 12 months
– 9% or much less for storing greater than a yr
Drying methods:
– Conventional techniques: Solar drying, subject drying and stacking
– Mechanical techniques: Heated air drying, low temperature drying, photo voltaic drying and grain cooling
