Silo Bags for grain storage, impact on the environment

The use of silo bags for grain storage is increasing rapidly across the world. These are proving to be very helpful in meeting the shortage of warehouses. In Silo Bags, grains can be safely stored for a long time at a low cost. In India too, crops are being stored in silo bags these days.

Know about the benefits of silo bags and their effects on the environment.

What is a silo bag?

A silo bag is a three-layer polythene sack whose thickness is up to 250 microns. Its outer layer is white in colour to reflect the sun's radiation. The inner layer is dark so it can impede the sunlight.

After harvest, the crop is filled in these silo bags and sealed airtight. These are completely waterproof, and the grains kept in them do not spoil for years.

This is very effective for a country like India where every year tons of food grains rot in the open.

Ground Report reached one such silo bag grain storage facility in Nasrullaganj, Madhya Pradesh to know how much people in India are trusting silo bags.

The Silo Bag grain storage facility exists in Narsullaganj, but farmers are not showing much interest in it as they do not know much about it yet.

Silo bag storage has been done here on about 4 acres of land. The facility manager said that gradually people will show interest in this because it is available near their village and it is cheaper than warehouses.

“We weigh the crop and fill it in silo bags and tightly seal the open end of the silo bags with machines. So far there has been no complaint of damage to the crop.

Advantages

• It requires less investment as compared to building a conventional warehouse and steel silo facility.
• The quality of the grain remains good for 18 months, and there is no need for fumigation or the use of any chemical.
• Silo bags produce 17% carbon dioxide within 30 days after being sealed, which protects food grains from insect attack.
• Silo bags have proved effective even in minus 20 degrees plus 55-degree temperatures.

Environmental damage by Silo Bags

Compared to building a warehouse, the silo bag is less harmful to the environment because it is a temporary structure. But this has increased the use of plastic in agriculture, which is harmful to the environment.

If the silo bags are not maintained properly or the structure on which the bag is placed is not proper, then the plastic particles go into the soil. Due to this, the soil is damaged.

The possibility of human-animal conflict has increased due to Silo storage in the ranch itself. Wild animals keep damaging these poly bags in the fields. It is not easy to save Silo Bags from horned animals.

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