Challenges and Solutions in Rice Storage and Post-Harvest Management

Rice is considerably one of the most crucial crops for several countries all around the world. More than half of the global population depends on rice as a staple food for daily sustenance. Rice is very popular in the East or Southeast Asian regions and is a dietary staple. 

Rice is undoubtedly being consumed on demand, but still, a big portion of it gets wasted due to several challenges associated with storage and post-harvest handling or management. Around 30 to 40% of production might not even reach the market due to improper storage, transportation, and processing of the commodities. 

Due to this, the losses rise up to 30% for the rice crops. But, to prevent all of these attributes, here is a glimpse at some of the challenges at the post-harvest stages of rice production and find ideal solutions for them. 

Different Challenges and Solutions Associated with Post-Harvest Management

Some of the challenges that degrade the quality of rice after its production during storage and post-harvest management:

1. Issues with Drying the Paddy

Among all of the challenges, rudimentary drying is the biggest issue associated with post-harvest rice handling. Drying is one of the critical processes where the moisture content of the grains is reduced to ensure they are ready to be stored. 

In case there’s any issue in drying the rice grains, they might end up being discolored and promote mold growth. There will be a loss of grains as well! Hence, proper drying is required to ensure proper rice storage. 

There are two factors that should be considered for overcoming rudimentary drying, which includes:

• Moisture Content

If you want to dry the rice properly to avoid the post-harvest challenge, it is important to monitor the moisture rate. The farmers usually tend to harvest the rice with a subtle moisture rate of 24%-26%. Following that, they should then dry the grains to at least 14% or less than that to prepare them for storage. 

Be specific while measuring the grain moisture rate to avoid contamination of the rice. Any kind of ineffective measurements of the moisture content will lead to additional drying expenses and loss of rice grains in terms of quality or quantity. 

• Unpredictable Weather

Sun drying, one of the traditional drying methods, is used as a priority. But, these methods are not immune to inclement weather effects. Rice is somehow susceptible to environmental changes, which means it can easily release or reabsorb the moisture rate. Weather unpredictability will result in rewetting the rice. 

Hence, this will lead the rice to cause spoilage, mold growth, and discoloration. To navigate through this challenge, a specific drying system can be introduced to protect the paddy from sudden rains or weather changes. Consider obtaining a drying system that has reliable drying times, irrespective of the environmental or weather changes. 

2. Rice Storage Challenges

Drying is not the only consideration for you to take note of while storing the rice. You should take optimal steps in order to adopt a reliable and suitable grain storage system. The grains need proper storage to prevent losses due to insects, microorganisms, moisture, unpredictable weather, and others. 

• Moisture & Weather Changes

Rice should have a proper level of moisture before it can be stored to avoid any kind of loss. Monitoring the moisture content shouldn’t be limited just during the production stage but also during the storage period. Rice is prone to experience changes due to environmental variation. 

Rice absorbs moisture from the surrounding air and sudden rains. To solve these issues, the rice containers should be air & moisture-sealed. It will protect the grains from re-wetting issues, which will prevent mold growth, and the quantity or quality of grains will be maintained. 

• Insects & Pests

Apart from the weather or moisture damage, pests or insects might also contribute to the destruction of rice during post-harvest management. Most of the losses that the rice incurs will be due to the insects feeding over stored grains. Such insects will contaminate or spoil the grain or paddy. 

The presence of these pests can be long before the rice is ready for storage or might have already entered your storage system. To solve this hassle, you must use an effective storage solution that will repel the pests or insects away from the rice crop. The rice storage container should be air & moisture to keep away insects without the use of any chemicals. 

Conclusion

These are just a few of the examples that educate you about some challenges that come with rice cultivation during the storage or post-harvest management stages. However, the traders, handlers, and producers do not have to worry about it, as there are a lot of affordable as well as effective management and rice storage ideas to help protect the crop before, after, or during the post-harvest. 

There are government or private facilities that are using advanced technologies for drying the rice grains, storing them, and transporting them. These advanced solutions have helped improve the post-harvest handling or management of rice by ensuring protection against mold growth, unpredictable weather, infestation, and other such problems.