Storing Foodgrains in the Open

What is the issue?

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.

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.

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