New storage tech may curb food wastage

India's grain storage system, which is usually blamed for a lot of wastage, could get a leg-up from a slew of new technologies like silo bags and inflatable balloon warehouses. HT reports.

India's grain storage system, which is usually blamed for a lot of wastage, could get a leg-up from a slew of new technologies like silo bags and inflatable balloon warehouses.

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In 2010-11, India lost about 6,000 tonnes of grains during handling and storage.

The Madhya Pradesh government had faced a pressing shortage of jute-based gunny bags, threatening its bumper harvest. It relied on silo bags, made of a special type of polyethylene produced by the Panama group.

The Pune-based group said its silo bags, a technologically advanced form of storing grains in weather-proof bags, could help curb India's grain wastage.

Though the cost of the silo bag is higher, the group said this is offset in the long run through cuts in post-harvest losses.

“Silo bags are cost-effective storage systems in open areas, originally developed in Argentina. Food grains can be stored for up to two years. We expect it to augment India’s storage,” a spokesperson said.