food storage in africa
8. Store grain using appropriate methods
Once grain is sufficiently dry and cleaned it should be put in storage. In all cases, the moisture content of grain placed in store must be at or below the safe limit (see Section 4 Box 3). Grain may be stored on farm for different length of time as follows - short-term (e.g. <3 months) before it is moved to the next link in the marketing chain, in this case the Collection Point of the Farmers’ Organisation, or medium to long-term (3-12 months)where farmers keep it for household consumption or for sale at a time when prices are more favourable.
There are many options available to farmers for storing their grain and protect it against pest attack. Some of these options are presented in Table 1; note that the costs indicated in the table are only a rough guide and will vary from situation to situation. Table 1 can be used to help decide on the most appropriate store type and its associated means of preventing pest attack. You can experiment with the different options to find which best suits your needs and budget. The remainder of this section describes in more detail the options suggested in Table 1.
Storage in open weave sacks
For marketing or keeping grain on farm for periods of three months or less, open weave sacks are the most convenient option. Sacks may be made of either polypropylene, jute or sisal. The choice of bag size should meet the requirements of the Farmers’ Organisation. Typically, 50kg bags are favoured since these are more easily handled than say 100kg bags; most 50kg bags are made of open weave polypropylene. If second-hand bags are to be used then they must be thoroughly cleaned before use, this is most easily done by plunging them in boiling water and then allowing them to dry, before filling with grain. The bags should not be overfilled with grain, after filling they should be closed by hand stitching or by using a stitching machine. Before stitching, fold the mouth of the bag inwards by 5 to 10 cm,
Once grain is sufficiently dry and cleaned it should be put in storage. In all cases, the moisture content of grain placed in store must be at or below the safe limit (see Section 4 Box 3). Grain may be stored on farm for different length of time as follows - short-term (e.g. <3 months) before it is moved to the next link in the marketing chain, in this case the Collection Point of the Farmers’ Organisation, or medium to long-term (3-12 months)where farmers keep it for household consumption or for sale at a time when prices are more favourable.
There are many options available to farmers for storing their grain and protect it against pest attack. Some of these options are presented in Table 1; note that the costs indicated in the table are only a rough guide and will vary from situation to situation. Table 1 can be used to help decide on the most appropriate store type and its associated means of preventing pest attack. You can experiment with the different options to find which best suits your needs and budget. The remainder of this section describes in more detail the options suggested in Table 1.
Storage in open weave sacks
For marketing or keeping grain on farm for periods of three months or less, open weave sacks are the most convenient option. Sacks may be made of either polypropylene, jute or sisal. The choice of bag size should meet the requirements of the Farmers’ Organisation. Typically, 50kg bags are favoured since these are more easily handled than say 100kg bags; most 50kg bags are made of open weave polypropylene. If second-hand bags are to be used then they must be thoroughly cleaned before use, this is most easily done by plunging them in boiling water and then allowing them to dry, before filling with grain. The bags should not be overfilled with grain, after filling they should be closed by hand stitching or by using a stitching machine. Before stitching, fold the mouth of the bag inwards by 5 to 10 cm,