This document discusses the evolution and trends of food grain storage in India. It outlines that grains are the main basis for human and animal consumption and that post-harvest losses are caused by biotic and abiotic factors. It then describes traditional and improved storage structures used by farmers as well as bulk storage systems like silos used in warehouses. The document concludes that safe and economical storage through preventive measures is essential for food safety and more research is still needed to address challenges in grain storage.

1. EVOLUTION AND TRENDS
IN
FOOD GRAIN STORAGE
IN
INDIA
Devinder Dhingra
Principal Scientist (Process Engg)
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India

2. Why store food grains
• 60-70 % of grain produced is retained by farmers
• farm size and productivity, family size, consumption pattern ,
marketing
• quantitative and qualitative losses due to insects / rodents / micro
organisms
- climatic conditions (temp. / RH)
•Farmer / processor / government

3. • Grains are main basis for human consumption and animal
feed
• Post-harvest grain losses are caused by :
 Biotic factors – insects, mold & other bio-agents
 Abiotic factors – moisture content, temperature / heat,
humidity, spillage etc.
• Post-harvest losses in India*
:
 Cereals – 3.9-6.0 %
 Pulses – 4.3-6.1 %
 Oilseeds – 2.8-10.1 %
*as per ICAR study

4. Unit operation Paddy
(% loss)
Wheat
(% loss)
Cajanus cajan
(% loss)
Harvesting 2.08±0.79 1.43±0.47 1.18±0.38
Collection 0.37±0.29 0.56±0.22 0.39±0.29
Threshing 1.44±0.39 1.43±0.41 2.13±0.71
Winnowing 0.50±0.50 0.40±0.19 0.41±0.59
Drying 0.10±0.15 0.07±0.09 0.18±0.18
Packaging 0.08±0.04 0.10±0.07 0.22±0.26
Transport 0.09±0.06 0.08±0.04 0.19±0.31
Farm Storage 0.39±0.15 0.53±0.14 1.02±0.15
Warehouse Storage 0.07±0.03 0.03±0.02 0.10±0.03
Wholesaler Storage 0.21±0.07 0.10±0.07 0.08±0.04
Retailers Storage 0.02±0.01 0.02±0.01 0.16±0.05
Processing unit Storage 0.16±0.04 0.17±0.04 0.32±0.06
Total loss 5.53±0.34 4.93±0.20 6.36±0.30
Total loss in farm operation
Total loss in storage
4.67±0.44
0.86±0.14
4.07±0.29
0.86±0.13
4.69±0.45
1.67±0.13

5. • In India there are three distinct end users of grain storage:
 Farmers - large number / small capacity
 Processing units - small number / medium capacity
 Government - large quantity to store
• Different types of storage structures are used
- Indoor structures
- Outdoor structures

6. Traditional Storage Structures (mostly used by farmers)
Traditional indoor structures (capacity 100 – 1000 kg)
Kanaja – round bamboo container, plasterd with mud and cow dung
Kothi – Room made with burnt clay bricks, and door
Sanduka – wooden boxes (used for pulses seeds & small qty of grains)
Earthen pots – placed one above the other
Traditional outdoor storage structures
Gummi - made of bamboo strips, circular / hexagonal in shape
plastered with mud, roof made of loose straw; raised platform
Kacheri - made from woven rope (wheat paddy straw)
Hagevu – underground pit lined with straw ropes, top covered with
straw and mud plaster

7. Bamboo plastered with mud and cow dung

8. Sanduka
Matka
Bamboo Basket

9. IMPROVED
STORAGE
STRUCTURES
FOR FARMERS

10. Coal Tar Drum Bin
Capacity: 150 kg

11. Hapur Bin (200kg capacity)
200 - 1000kg capacity

12. PKV Akola Bin

13. PUSA BIN
Capacity: 0.5 – 4.0 tonnes L x B x H: 610 - 1720, 610 - 1520, 1360– 1600

14. 600 kg 300 kg
500 kg
1000 kg
900 x 769 mm1785 x 769 mm 990 x 938 mm 1950 x 938 mm
METAL BINS

15. METAL BINS

16. Storage
- Warehousing of food grains in India
Creation of Food Corporation of India, Central
Warehousing Corporation and State Warehousing
Corporation (50-55 years ago)

17. Bag storage
• Grain packed in jute bags is stacked in warehouses. Most
popular storage system in India (followed by FCI, CWC,
State Warehousing corporations)
• Capacities have been estimated on the basis of 22 bags high
stacks of 50 kg capacity each

18. Table1: Capacities and dimensions of bagged storage structures
Type of godown Capacity in MT Internal dimensions in metres
Length Breadth
Small 1000 35.5 18
2500 97.19 14.48
Large 5000 129.74 21.34

23. Modern Roofing Material
and Technology
55 % Aluminum-Zinc alloy coated sheet steel (better known as
GALVALUME). The steel sheet 914 mm wide (tolerance
±2mm) having minimum thickness 1 mm (+/- 0.02 mm),
minimum yield strength of 350 MPa, alloy coated (55%
Aluminium, 43.5% Zinc and 1.5% Silicon) on both sides is
recommended for roofing.

26. BULK STORAGE

27. Bulk storage of grains
Capacity: 2,00,000 metric tonnes

28. 2. Bulk storage
• Agro-processing industries are inclined in favour of bulk
storage
• Bulk storage is mainly done in silos
• Silos are of two types mainly basis of design:
 Hopper bottom silos: storage capacity is 10-1500 tonnes
 Flat bottom silos: storage capacity upto 15000 tonnes

29. • Various materials used to build silos: cement
concrete, mild steel, corrugated aluminum and
galvanized iron sheets.
GIC- Galvanised Iron Corrugated
• Quality of silos mainly depends on:
Silo capacity
Silo design
Silo manufacturing and installation

30. Top loading bottom discharge wagons

31. Capacity: 4.6 – 33 m3
(3.5 – 25 tonnes)

33. Comparison of storage system
Godown
storage
Silos Steel/
aluminium
domes
Circular
stores
Space requirement High Low High Medium
Demand/difficulty for engineering Low Mediu
m
High High
Demand/difficulty for
manufacturing
Low High High Medium
Costs for charge/discharge High Low High Medium

34. With bag handling With bulk handling
Standard
warehouse
Permanent
plinths
Concrete silos Steel silos
Fixed cost
Capital cost 8.6 1.3 11.5 6.8
Maintenance 1.0 0.1 2.4 1.8
Variable cost
Material cost 0.9 1.3 0.2 0.2
Fuel/power - - 0.1 0.1
Labour 0.8 0.8 0.2 0.2
Bags 1.0 1.0 - -
Losses 0.4 0.4 -
Total 12.7 4.9 14.4 9.1
Comparison of cost for new permanent storage facilities, using different
storage types for long - term storage of grain
(Cost US $ per tonne of wheat)
(www.fao.org)

35. TNAU Insect probe trap TNAU Pit Fall trap UV-Light Trap for godowns

36. Preventive treatments for grain storage
 Cleaning
Drying
Grain cooling (aeration)
Fumigation
Heat treatment
Use of ozone & nitrogen
Irradiation

37. Conclusions
• Safe and economical storage is essential for food
safety
• Preventive measures should be practiced during
storage
• R& D efforts are required in areas of structure design,
materials of construction, ease of handling, impact on
biotic and abiotic factors, detection and monitoring of
spoilage, safe fumigants, uniform fumigation etc.

38. Save Grains Save Humanity