Bhubaneswar: Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Khurda for the first time in Odisha Monday demonstrated the benefits of using the Solar Bubble Drier which could be used to process and dry the post-harvest paddy to reduce the losses that is incurred under conventional methods.
The institution, which introduced several farmers from the district to the latest technology, has now decided to take it to farmers from different blocks so that they can understand its use and chip in using the technology, based on solar energy to reduce crop loss.
“Under conventional methods, farmers dry their harvested crops under the sun in the open. In the process, around 10 per cent of their produce is lost due to animals, vehicles running over it and other reasons. In the new technology, the harvested crops are dried inside a chamber which also ensures the required moisture in it,” said PN Ananth, Head, KVK, Khurda.
The technology has been developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Phillippines which worked for a long time to address the post harvest losses. IRRI in collaboration with GrainPro has developed this technique.
According to scientists associated with the project, it is a low cost drying technology that aims to provide a simple and flexible alternative to sun drying protecting from spillage, animals and other losses. The scientists said that post-harvest operation starts from harvesting to storage and the area to be focused on in Odisha is drying and storage of paddy. Further value addition and processing are choices of farmers in the value chain. The traditional methods experts opine cause more losses both quantitatively as well as qualitatively.
As per the technology, the paddy or other post-harvest crops are taken into the inflated chambers and dried under controlled conditions to ensure that the required moisture is maintained and the overall process with the help of solar energy that completes the whole procedure in less time than manual drying.
PNN