Quantitative and Qualitative Losses in Paddy, Maize and Greengram Stored under Household Conditions in Anuradhapura District of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Substantial losses are common due to various reasons of durable crops during storage, which threatens economy, health and food security. Despite the frequent reports on post-harvest losses of paddy and other cereals throughout Sri Lanka, a comprehensive study has not been conducted in Anuradhapura district in recent past to assess storage losses of aforesaid commodities. Objectives of this study were to find out main types of durable crops stored following harvest, and their quantitative and qualitative losses incurred during storage period at the household level in Anuradhapura district of Sri Lanka. Data were collected throughout Anuradhapura district representing all 22 divisional secretariats. The main stored commodities were paddy, maize and greengram. The storage period varied from 4 to 12 months. The storage losses of Nadu and Samba rice varietal types respectively were highest in Palagala and Kekirawa, whereas losses were minimum in Rambewa and Galenbindunuwewa. The main qualitative losses were the presence of damaged seeds, grain flour/dust, grains without kernel and faecal matter. The study highlights that severe quantitative and qualitative losses occur during storage of rice, maize and greengram, and appropriate remedial measures are needed to be developed to minimize the said losses ensuring food security.

Postharvest losses in food grains – A Review

“…The major factors account for PHLs of grains are infestation by insect-pests, rodents, imprudent store-time, unjustifiable marketing models (Swai et al, 2019), poor storage and transportation facilities (Janila et al, 2016;Swai et al, 2019;Tibagonzeka et al, 2018), spillage due to inadequate handling, transportation and packaging facilities, reused packaging materials (Mwangi et al, 2017), use of uncertified seeds (Njonjo et al, 2019), planting mixed variety of seeds, mixing old and new seeds, harsh weather conditions, farmers disunity, limited access to loans, inadequate on-farm storage facilities (Tibagonzeka et al, 2018), limited output, access to the market (Amentae et al, 2016), bad roads, annual average rainfall (Hengsdijk and de Boer, 2017), limited access to vital farm inputs (Gunasekera et al, 2017), lack of sufficient postharvest management intervention (Quellhorst et al, 2020;Fabi et al, 2021), lack of improved crop variety and inappropriate storage condition (Kumari et al, 2020).…”

Effect of Pheromones, Plant Volatiles and Spinosad on Mating, Male Attraction and Burrowing of Cadra cautella (Walk.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

“…Insects are a major cause of deterioration of stored food, which may even be higher in tropical locations [3]. In Sri Lanka, serious losses due to insect infestation are reported for stored grains [4][5][6], rice flour [7], spices [8] and animal feed [9].…”