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Storing Foodgrains in the Open

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September 06, 2018

What is the issue?

  • India stores millions of tonnes of foodgrains in the open under tarpaulins.
  • It has notable health effects and is a cause for other losses.

Why is foodgrains storage important?

  • In India, at the height of the rainy season, growth of fungi overnight is a serious concern.
  • Humidity in the air and warmth of summer are conducive for fungi growth.
  • All fungi need is something to feed on, and grains are more susceptible to it.
  • Eating mouldy grain causes a variety of illnesses.
  • Mycotoxins, found in mouldy grain/foods, are associated with human disease.
  • They produce aflatoxins (cancer-causing), and other such toxins.
  • Aflatoxicosis causes abdominal pain, vomiting, hepatitis.
  • They sometimes even cause death after acute exposure to high concentrations in food.
  • Chronic low dose exposure to aflatoxin can result in impaired growth in children.
  • So healthy foodgrains storage conditions are essential to avoid possibilities for the above.

How is storage done elsewhere?

  • In other parts of the world, grain is stored in silos (a tall tower or pit on a farm used to store grain).
  • Here, stored grain is kept dry and aired so as to prevent fungal and insect attacks.
  • The time North American mid-west came under plough, large grain silos and a railway system to export the grain were built.
  • Today, the U.S. has a permanent storage capacity nearly equivalent to its annual grain production.

What are the concerns in India?

  • Storage - India handles about 30.52 million tonnes of rice, wheat, maize, gram and sorghum.
  • These are stored in structures at Food Corporation of India godowns and hired spaces.
  • Most procured grain is stored using the CAP, or cover and plinth method.
  • Under this, grains are piled up on the floor and covered with a tarpaulin.
  • This is very cheap and easy to make, but not healthy.
  • Silos - India has only four silos located each in Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Hapur-Ghaziabad.
  • A recent one, in Uttar Pradesh, is the most modern with a storage capacity of 500 tonnes.
  • The remainder of government-procured grain is stored in poor conditions.
  • To export basmati rice, Punjab has built modern, temperature-controlled grain silos with a storage capacity of 50,000 tonnes.
  • However, this is not for the Indian market.
  • Loss - It is estimated that there is a 10% loss of harvested grain.
  • Of this, 6% (around 1,800,000 tonnes) is lost in storage.
  • These grains become so damp, fungus-ridden and unfit for consumption.
  • Impact - Grains are stored outdoors under tarpaulins through the rainy season.
  • After this, grain is ground (grind) and converted to flour or flour-based products or de-husked.
  • However, mycotoxins are already present from the time the flour was stored in the form of grain.
  • Awareness - The government is aware of the deadly consequences of grain with mycotoxins.
  • There are regulations in place to prevent the purchase of mouldy grain from farmers.
  • However, there are no published studies on the extent of mould infection in grain stored using the CAP method.

 

Source: The Hindu

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