Special silo that keeps weevils at bay for Kenyan farmers

John Kirui, a mechanisation extension officer in Rift Valley shows how the new silos work at his office in Nakuru. [PHOTO: KIPSANG JOSEPH/STANDARD]

KENYA: A weevil commonly known as ‘osama’ in local circles has been terrorising farms in Nakuru County. The pest affects crops following poor post-harvest practices.

It mainly affects cereals like maize, wheat, rice, sorghum, millet and beans causing farmers up to 30 per cent in losses, further fueling food insecurity.

And thanks to an innovative storage facility introduced by the National Government, farmers need not worry about this destructive pest. Hermetic sealed metal silo (grain storage silos) protects produce against rodents, weevils, grain borers, moths among others.

Ministry of Agriculture’s mechanisation extension officer in Rift Valley John Kirui says the galvanised metallic silo has capability of killing pests through oxygen deprivation without applying pesticides that affect health of cereal consumers.

HOW IT WORKS

The containers, he says, are sealed tightly to prevent circulation of air that encourages breeding of pests and diseases during storage of cereals.

Kirui says in these silos, cereals are enclosed in an air tight container that ensures the air inside the chambers cannot sustain insect life.

“The low oxygen environment prevents growth of fungi and aflatoxins and provides favourable environment to preserve grains,” he says.

The silos have two open ends with one at the top where cereals are poured and the other at the bottom for offloading after storage.

Kirui says the innovation was established in 2009 by the Ministry of Agriculture to promote food security and it is now being rolled out in the county.

He says benefits of the silos include insect control without pesticides, high germination rates of seeds, high milling quality and food stored in a hermetic environment natural, unpolluted, organic and healthy.

STORING THE CEREALS

Before storage, farmers are required to sun dry cereals properly to avoid formation of mould and later a candle is lit after putting the grains to consume air before sealing.

“Cereals are dried at moisture content of 12 to 13 per cent to prevent growth of mould. Immediately after placing the cereals inside the silo, a candle is lit at the top layer of the grains to consume the oxygen before sealing it,” Kirui explains.

For effectiveness, the silos with durability of 20 years, are raised one feet above the ground for easier offloading of grains and to prevent it from rusting. “A wooden surface is used for raising the silos to prevent them from getting in touch with water that causes rusting,” he says.

THE COST

The capacity of the silos ranges from one, eight, 12 and 1,000 bags.

The cost of the facilities ranges from Sh3,000 for one bag capacity, Sh15,000 for eight bags and Sh24,000 for the 12 bags capacity among other prices.

The bigger silos are popular with big institutions like schools and universities.

Kirui says some farmers have teamed up in groups to buy the larger storage facilities.

FARMERS’ EXPERIENCES

Mary Kirui, a maize farmer from Ngata estate in outskirts of Nakuru, is among those using the storage silos.

Ms Kirui has invested in 10-bag capacity silo in readiness for the October harvest.

“In the past, I have suffered losses because I used to store my maize in what we call gunias (sacks). My maize was always infested with weevils. That is why when I heard of this silo, I invested in it. I expect to harvest more than ten bags of maize this coming season and I am keen to avoid any damage that comes post harvest,” she says.

The mother of four says she is also happy because she will not need to buy preservative pesticides to aid in the storage.

“Before buying the silo, I used to store maize in sacks that required a lot of chemicals to prevent pest damage,” she recalls.

Jonathan Kimunge another farmer who has invested in the silo, says since he bought the tank last year, he has saved money.

PROCESSING

Kimunge used to buy more than 10 bags of 90kg at Sh50 each to store his maize produce after harvest.

“Storing maize in sacks was expensive and not safe because rodents would attack the produce leading to major losses,” says Kimunge.

If this facility is as promising as it is described, it will indeed save farmers millions of shillings in losses that result post harvest.

According to the East Africa Grain Council (EAGC), Kenya loses approximately Sh3 billion annually due to aflatoxin, old harvesting technology, pests and diseases.

EAGC Chief Executive Director Gerald Masila says the losses can be controlled by adopting proper post-harvest practices that entails cleaning, packaging, processing, storage, transportation and distribution, advanced post-harvest technologies and fumigation.

Masila says post-harvest activities are an integral part of food production system that promotes best practices for handling and management cereals along the entire food supply chain.

He observes that there is a huge gap between technology development in research organisations and the ability to adopt new innovations.

“Both the national and county governments need to facilitate training of farmers on post-harvest practices in the fight against food insecurity and provide technical advice,” he said during an agricultural expo at Kabarak University last week.