Reducing Rice Postharvest Losses

What are postharvest losses?

Improved postharvest technologies and management Mechanizing harvesting It takes 34 laborers to harvest and thresh rice from 1 ha. In most countries, these laborers are not available anymore, which results in delays and high harvesting cost. Benefits: Physical losses can be reduced from 510% to 1%. Avoidance of delays minimizes quality loss. Harvesting cost can be decreased by around 20%. Improving sun drying An estimated 90% of the rice crop in Asia is dried under the sun. Simple technologies such as the solar Bubble Dryer can improve sun drying and reduce weather risk. Benefits: Protection from water during rain and at night. Better control of drying air temperature gives better quality. Mechanized drying Allows complete control of the drying process and thus minimizes quality loss. Using rice husk as fuel minimizes drying cost and carbon footprint. Benefits: Controlled drying leads to maximum quality. Losses are minimized. Weather risk is eliminated. Hermetic storage Hermetic storage systems such as the IRRI Super Bag involve enclosing grains in an airtight container. After sealing, biological activity consumes the oxygen inside the container and increases carbon dioxide. Benefits: Insect control occurs without pesticides. Moisture control prevents re-wetting in the tropics. Higher seed germination means lower seed rates. Minimized losses mean more grain of higher quality to sell.

postharvest project info

Postharvest (PH) losses in rice are physical losses from shattering, spillage, and waste and quality losses from delays in postharvest operations and improper storage. In South and Southeast Asia, physical losses are 1025% and quality losses can discount prices by up to 30%. See back page for details.

Why are losses so high?

Intensification of rice production usually leads to higher losses: in double-cropping or multicropping systems, one harvest usually falls in the rainy season when sun drying is not possible. Yield increases mean more paddy to dry, process, and store. A labor shortage during peak seasons leads to delays in the postproduction chain, which cause rapid deterioration of wet paddy grains.

Why is it important to reduce PH losses?

Reducing qualitative and quantitative PH losses helps to Increase farmers returns from their rice harvest. Make more rice available in the market and thus contribute to food security. Ensure that consumers get healthy rice.

How can you reduce postharvest losses?

Traditional postharvest systems can no longer handle the increased grain volumes from intensified cropping systems. Farmers and the rice industry therefore need to look at mechanizing harvesting and modern technologies for drying, storage, and processing (see examples on right).

IRRIs postharvest partnerships

To reduce postharvest losses in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao PDR, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam and in selected African countries, IRRI works with national agricultural research and extension systems and civil society organizations to introduce new postharvest technologies. To develop these technologies, IRRI works with advanced research institutes such as universities and also increasingly with the private sector. Some examples are Trimble: Laser-leveling systems GrainPro Inc.: Hermetic storage and Bubble Dryer Nanodevice Inc: Low-cost moisture tester

New approaches used

In order to scale out technologies better to end users, IRRI has piloted several new approaches: Application of a value chain approach for postharvest R&D from harvesting to marketing. Participatory impact pathway analysis for better and more actor-specific targeting of interventions. Learning alliances as multistakeholder platforms to engage with public and private stakeholders. Action-oriented postharvest training, including certification and e-learning courses. Development of business models for PH technologies.

Importance of best practice preharvest management Laser land leveling Properly leveled fields reduce the water requirement and lead to more even crop stand and crop maturity. This results in higher yields, lower harvesting loss, better grain quality, and higher milling yields.

For more information:

Contact: postharvest@irri.org Visit the Rice Knowledge Bank: www.knowledgebank.irri.org

Developed by M. Gummert with funding for IRRIs postharvest projects provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB),the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Produced by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) 2013, IRRI, All rights reserved February 15, 2013

Ranges of quantitative and qualitative postharvest losses in Southeast Asia

Understanding rice quality

Once we start trying to improve rice quality in a new location in a village or at a rice mill, we often face the problem that nobody fully understands the quality traits of paddy, milled rice, or rice seeds. The first step is therefore often to teach our partners and farmers about quality and how it is affected by rice production and postharvest practices. IRRI has therefore developed training tools that can be used in the field or in rural settings without the need for a sophisticated grain quality laboratory.

The IRRI low-cost Moisture Tester

Being able to quantify moisture content of paddy is essential for best practice postharvest management. However, commercial moisture meters cost US$200 600, far too much for most Asian farmers.

The IRRI Grain Quality Assessment Kit

The Grain Quality Assessment Kit is a compilation of many different tools that allow users to quantify quality traits of paddy, milled rice, and seeds.

The IRRI Moisture Tester costs only 2050% of a commercial moisture tester and is intended to be a decision-making tool for postharvest management.

All tools are battery operated or dont need any power supply so that they can easily be used in rural settings.

Developed by M. Gummert with funding for IRRIs postharvest projects provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB),the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Produced by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) 2013, IRRI, All rights reserved February 15, 2013