Rice post harvest management-Bangladesh context

Debashish Chanda, Ph.DPost Harvest & Business Model Specialist

IRRI Bangladesh

Why is Post-Harvest ManagementImportant?

Food Safety

Quality assurance

Better storage

Better protection from pests

Reduce losses (quantity & quality)

Better marketing opportunities

Post harvest losses in Bangladesh(Present scenario)

Production of Rice per year = around 30 million tons Post harvest loss of Rice = 10 – 15 % per year (approx)

Post harvest loss of F & V = 30 – 40 % per year (approx)

In value losses (all crops) cost = around 30,000 crore BDT

If we can reduce these losses only 3% , we can save 1.0 million tons food crops.

Causes of post harvest losses

Generally these include:

Inefficient harvesting and handling methods Labor shortage during harvest season Harvesting immature and over-mature crops Poor processing techniques Limited drying facility Excess rain-fall expose Lack of storage facilities Rough transportation/load/unload No or poor access to new technology No farmers friendly business model

Post harvest steps

Harvesting (cutting – field drying – hauling)

Stacking/Piling - Threshing (and winnowing)

Moisture control (drying)

Fine cleaning (for seed)

Bagging

Fumigation (for seed)

Storage (paddy storage)

Parboiling & milling

Transportation - Marketing

Harvest Handling

Harvest in dry and sunny weather to avoid extra moisture

Harvest only in appropriate ripening stage (80-85%)

Use combine harvester if available/possible

Do not mix grain for milling with seed production

Take moisture measurement after harvesting

Avoid delays in threshing and drying after harvesting

Harvesting

Harvesting mainly manually (almost 99 %)

Very rare use of reapers and combine harvesters

Combine harvester is more appropriate and cost effective

Field drying

Leaving the cut crop in the field and exposing it to the sun for drying

Panicle drying, usually farmers dry their paddy 2-3 days in the field

Dry up to 17-18%

For seed its better thresh after cutting and then dry

Threshing

Most of the farmers now use mechanical thresher like fully mechanized open drum power thresher and pedal thresher

Drying for storage

Drying traditionally (sun drying)

Use bite test to get m/c

Mechanical dryer

Low-cost seed dryer Flat bed dryer

Mechanical dryer

Cleaning & grading for seed

Pre-cleaning(for both seed and milling)

Fine cleaning(for seed)

Grading(for wheat, barley, maize, etc)

Storage

Storage technology

IRRI Super bagCocoon

Parboiling

Parboiling (5-10 min)

Soaking (min 12 hours)

Parboiling (5-10 min)

Drying (12% - 16%)

Milling

Post harvest flow chart

Harvesting

Pre-drying in field

Threshing Winnowing Drying

StorageParboiling and drying For milling

Processing (pre cleaning, fine

Cleaning, grading)and fumigation

for seed

Harvesting

Packaging

MarketingMarketingUtilization by

consumer

Hauling