Traditional and modern farm level storage structure

D.Desinguraja Department of animal nutrition CVAS, Mannuthy

Introduction
Storage : Keeping of ingredients for longer time without significant alterations in their physical form, chemical composition feeding value.

Characteristic of standard storage structure

Provide protection from insects, fungi, rodents, birds It should not permit the absorption of undesired odours and extraneous material. It could be made air tight Adequate provision for controlled aeration Sufficient protection from calamities. Facilities should be made for periodic inspection. Provision for proper cleaning.

 The structure should not posses cracks, furrows. Provide sufficient insulation Construction cost should be reasonable Working life suffciently long.

Traditional storage
In India, a large quantity of food grain is stored in villages, in different traditional storage structures and containers. It is estimated that sixty to seventy percent of food grain produced in the country. The storage methods range from mud structures to modern bins. The containers are made from a variety of locally available materials differing in design, shape, size and functions.

The materials used for storage

Paddy straw, wheat straw, wood, bamboo, reeds, mud, bricks, Cow dung etc.

Advantage of indigenous storage

Bamboo structures made on a raised timber or stone platform protect grain from rat damage and prevent moisture absorption from the ground. Regular mud plastering is required for a variety of indoor and outdoor storage containers and structures for increasing their life span and ensuring safe storage of grains. The structures made of indigenous material like bamboo, straw and other plant material allow free flow of air. Dis adv: Indigenous storage structures are not suitable for storing grains for very long periods

Method of storage
1) Indoor storage 2) Outdoor storage 3) Underground storage

kuthir
Traditionally store cereal grain in tall mud pods or bin Made up of clay soil and plant fibres. Sometimes husk of cereal grain were also mixed with clay harden the structure. Height of kuthir 1-3 m Narrow mouth opening

Kodambae
In a suitable backyard farm, placed a big stone at the base of the floor. Above the stones, wooden sticks were placed to connect the stone to form a flat platform. The wall raised at 1M using clay or red soil or cement with bricks.

 Top portion of the structure was covered with conical shaped roof using bamboo and palm or coconut thatches. One side of the roof had a small door like opening for collection. Capacity 1000 kg Storage structure up to 100 yrs.

Thombarai
Made up of wood. Rectangular in shape. Height 1M from ground, with supporting wooden structures. Dimension 2.43 * 1.52 M Capacity 1000 kg Top of structure small door like opening. Ladder used to collect grain.

Kalangaiyam
Rectangular brick walls are constructed with strong concrete base / stone. Brick wall 20 cm thick. Dimension 2.43 * 1.82 M with 2 m height. Expensive for poor farmers.

Macchu
Constructed granary room inside their house at a height of 2.43 M and desired length. It would run along the top at the corner of house. Platform is made up of wooden boards. Side bricks with cement. Inside vessel filled with water to attract and kill the moth insects.

Paanai
Earthen pots are commonly used storing and consumption of grain. The pots are arranged one above the other vertically in descending order. Adv reduced space requirement. Farmers placed dried cow dung with their finger prints for identification of seed variety.

Urai
Use storage of baskets made with the locally available bamboo sticks. The baskets resembled a long jar After loading the grain, the lid was closed and whole basket was sealed using cow dung paste. Storage life 1 yr. Structure life 4 5 yrs.

Sakkupai
Store the seed material for future cultivation in jute gunny bags. The jute gunny bags - bit cool. Polythene gunny bags not preferred for multiplication of storage pest.

Mara thombai
One such wooden structure used in large scale storage of grain. It protects the grain from insects, moisture, mold, rodents, and birds. The wall 1.5 2 m Floor 80 cm above the ground level. Stands with four straight wooden poles. Size 2.13 h* 1.21 w

 Capacity 1000 kg Whole unit separated in to 4 equal parts. This arrangement help to alter the height of structure by either removing or adding

Arisi petti
Wooden boxes for grain storage. The compact square shaped boxes made up of acacia.sp Capacity 100 kg Size 1.21 M * 0.91 M

Saal
Traditionally stored grain in tall mud pot or bins. Made up of clay soil and plant fiber. Height 1 3 M Narrow mouth opening. Placed over a circular ring like structure called pirimanai ( made up of paddy straw )

Underground storage of grains

Hagevu It is a simple pit lined with straw ropes to prevent damage from moisture. After filling the structure fully, the paddy straw is spread on top as a thick layer and the structure is sealed with mud plaster. The inlet opening is above the ground level. The advantage of this structure is that fumigation is not required for disinfestation. Grain can be stored for a longer period. This storage method is suitable for dry agro climatic zones.

Outdoor storage of grains

Bamboo structures are used for storing unthreshed and threshed paddy. Gummi is an outdoor structure used for storing grains. This structure is made with bamboo strips or locally available reeds. It is usually circular or hexagonal in shape and plastered with mud. The roof of the structure is usually made from loose straw. The structure is placed on a raised platform.

Modern storage
several problems associated with traditional modes of grain storage . modifications have been done to offer improved grain storage structures to the farmers. For small-scale storage of grains the PAU bin, Pusa bin and Hapur tekka

 PAU bin designed by Punjab Agricultural University is a galvanized metal iron structure. The capacity ranges from 1.5 to 15 quintals. Pusa bin It is a modification of the ordinary mud storage structure commonly used in villages.

 To provide moisture proof and airtight conditions, polyethylene film of 700 gauge thickness has been embedded at the top, bottom and on all the sides of the mud bin. The bin is constructed with unburnt bricks on burnt bricks or concrete floor to avoid rat burrowing. The grain and seed both remain safe in the bin for more than one year with proper precautions.

Hapur pin
cylindrical rubberized cloth structure supported by bamboo poles on a metal tube base, it has a small hole in the bottom through which grain can be removed. Capacity 2, 5, 7.5, 10 quintals

 Large scale grain storage is done in CAP and silos. CAP Storage (Cover and Plinth) It involves the construction of brick pillars to a height of 14" from the ground with grooves. In which wooden crates are fixed for the stacking of bags of food grains.

 The stacks are covered with 250 micron LDPE sheets from the top and all four sides. Food grains such as maize, gram, paddy, and sorghum are generally stored in CAP (cover and plinth) storage for 6-12 month periods

Silo
The silos are either metal or concrete. Metal silos are cheaper than the concrete. In silos the grains in bulk are unloaded on the conveyor belts and, through mechanical operations, are carried to the storage structure. The storage capacity of each of these silos is around 25,000 tonnes.

Godown management

warehouse
Warehouses are scientific storage structures. especially constructed for the protection of the quantity and quality of stored products. It should provide maximum possible protection from ground moisture, rain, insect , pests, moulds, rodents, birds, fore etc.,

 It should provide the necessary facility for inspection, disinfection, loading, unloading, cleaning and reconditioning. It should protect grain from excessive moisture and temperature favourable to both insect and mould development. It should be economical

Basic requirements
All holes, pipes and ducts and other openings shall be guarded by suitable means, such as gratings, etc., in order to prevent the entry of rats and other vermin. The structure shall have smooth, crack free internal surfaces and shall have no unnecessary cavities and projections to prevent the lodgment from insects and vermin. The structure shall be designed so as to facilitate its sealing for fumigation or have facility to seal a portion where fumigation has to be carried out, or it may be made completely airtight if required.

 Godown should have good ventilation arrangement to prevent moisture accumulation in pockets. Moisture may be controlled by adopting methods of construction using non-hygroscopic material, by sound wall, roof and floor construction, by the use of vapour barriers, and by the use of aeration. oriented that it will receive the minimum solar radiation.

Dos
Locate a godown on a well raised drained site. Locate it near transport head. Locate it away from pollution sources such as dairy, poultry, slaughter houses etc. Locate it away from sources of fire such as kilns, factories etc.

 Provide suitable access, approach, internal roads and maneuvering and parking spaces for vehicles. Provide ancillary structures such as office and services such as water supply, sanitary facilities and electricity. Provide sufficient height of plinth to avoid flooding of stocks in times of heavy rains.

 Provide good ventilation. Provide damp proof floor. Provide leak proof roofs and sufficient projection of roof all round. Provide suitable projection at plinth level and use portable steps to enter godowns in order to avoid rats.

 Provide the minimum fire fighting equipment. Fumigate the stacks at the required intervals. Maintain the buildings, roads and all equipment properly. Maintain cleanliness.

Dont
Do not allow poor specification for construction. Do not extend stacking beyond the stacking lines. Do not exceed stacking of bags beyond the specified limit. Do not exceed the dosages prescribed for fumigation. Do not keep the infested grains along with good stock.

STACKING
Food grains have to be stored and preserved on scientific lines in godowns till they are issued to consumer.

Why stacking
Te bags containing food grains cannot be just dumped inside the godown Proper stacking ensures free access to the stocks in all parts of the godown for inspection and helps in effective disinfestations work.

Method of stacking
Simple stacking Cross stacking Block method.

Stake plan
Stack height depends upon , The purpose of warehouse is required . The nature of the commodity and the type of sack to be used Sacks made of woven polypropylene have a tendency to slide on each other, and therefore should not be stacked more than 3 metres high.

 Jute sacks bind together better, and may be stacked up to 6 metres above the floor. The height of stacks should not exceed the height of the walls, and a space of at least 1 metre should be allowed between the tops of stacks and roof frames.

Estimation of storage capacity

Based on,
The Specific Volume of the principal product to be stored; The Maximum Tonnage of this product which it is desired to store; The Maximum Stack Height desired; The extent to which Separation of Lots is desired.

The Specific Volume of the Product

This is defined as the volume occupied by 1 tonne of the bagged grain. Engineers find it more convenient to use Specific Volume rather than Bulk Density . because large quantities of bagged grain in stacks or bulk grain in silos become compacted, and occupy less space than bulk density calculations indicate.

Commodity
Bulrush millet Beans, peas, lentils

Specific Volume (m/t)

1.25 1.30

Wheat, milled rice, coffee

Maize, sorghum, decorticated , groundnuts, palm seed Soybeans, cocoa Wheat flour, maize meal Cotton seed

1.60
1.8

2.0 2.1 2.5