CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

This chapter presents the background of the study, the statement of the
problems, the assumptions of the study, the scope and delimitation, the research
design and methodology, the significance of the study, and the definition of
important terminologies used.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

“Rice is the staple food of the vast majority of humans in the planet.” More
than half of the world's population depends on rice as their source of food.  Rice
is a cereal crop most commonly used as human food. Two species of rice are
considered important to humans: Oryza sativa, grown worldwide and O.
glaberrima, grown in parts of West Africa. (http://irri.org/about-rice/rice-facts/rice-
basics - November 20, 2010)

Rice is unique because it can grow in environments that would not be

suitable for other crops. Rice is also the most important food crop of the
developing world and the staple food of more than 3 billion people or more than
half of the world’s population. In addition, in 2009, 640 million undernourished
people living in Asia are dependent on rice. 

One fifth of the world’s population—more than a billion people—depend

on rice cultivation for livelihoods. Asia, where about 90% of rice is grown, has
more than 200 million rice farms, most of which are smaller than 1 hectare. Rice-
based farming is the main economic activity for hundreds of millions of rural poor
in this region. In Africa, rice is the fastest growing staple. This increase in the
demand for rice is also true for Latin America and Caribbean countries.
 Rice plays an important role in many cultures. For thousands of years
different parts of the rice plant have been used in religious and ceremonial
occasions, as medicine, and as inspiration and medium for a great number of
artwork.

The challenge, above anything else, is to produce more rice with less
land, less water, and less labor, in more efficient, environmentally-friendly
production systems that are more resilient to climate change, among other
factors. (http://irri.org/about-rice/rice-facts/rice-basics November 20 , 2010)

The work for quality rice does not end with harvesting robust rice grains.
In most rice producing countries, between 15-25% of harvest is lost due to
inefficient and outdated postharvest operations. In addition, farmers lose
potential income because they often sell wet paddy immediately after harvest
and therefore do not participate and benefit much from the rice value chain. Also,
with traditional sun drying, they produce low quality paddy and don’t have the
facilities for safe storage.

Reducing postharvest losses contributes to global food security by

increasing the quality of rice leading to higher income for producers and
processors, as well as healthier food for consumers.

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has verified large-scale and

developed small-scale storage systems, in the farming and commercial sectors in
the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Laos.  IRRI has
also facilitated the transfer of locally adapted drying systems from Vietnam to
Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, as well as piloted laser leveling systems in
Vietnam, Myanmar, and Laos, and initiated the dissemination of this technology
in Vietnam.
 By increasing farmers' knowledge on good postharvest practices like rice
milling processes, as well as improving rice millers` knowledge for better milling
yields of higher quality, the value (quality and quantity) of the crop will be
improved. By increasing market knowledge and information available to farmers,
they will have greater flexibility in seeking markets for their harvest and greater
bargaining power.

The postharvest value chain is comprised of many stakeholders from the

public and private sectors. By facilitating multi stakeholder platforms, we are
helping these stakeholders work together towards out-scaling improved
postharvest technologies for the common goal of reducing postharvest losses. By
helping farmers become small farming entrepreneurs, we work towards
improving livelihoods in rice farming communities. 
(http://irri.org/our-science/postharvest-November 20 , 2010)

Drying is the most critical operation after harvesting a rice crop. Delays in

drying, incomplete drying or ineffective drying will reduce grain quality and result
in losses.

Drying is the process that reduces grain moisture content to a safe level
for storage. Paddy coming from the field usually has a moisture content of
between 20 to 24%. It should be dried to at least 14% as soon as possible to
prevent deterioration. For longer storage it should be dried to at least 12.5 to
13%.

Drying and storage are related processes. Storage of incompletely dried

grain with a higher than acceptable moisture content will lead to failure
regardless of what storage facility is used. In addition, the longer the grain is to
be stored, the lower the required grain moisture content must be.
 People dry palay on the road to utilize the energy coming from the sun to
dry their rice because of the cost of mechanical drying and its availability.
Besides, it is inexpensive.
(http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/rkb/index.php/drying November 20, 2010)

The rice farmers dry their rice under the sun. The optimum moisture
content for rice is 13% and in order to dry rice to the optimum moisture content of
13% it takes more time and days of drying. The rice farmers are not usually
patient enough to wait for the rice to dry to the optimum moisture content.
Therefore the rice paddy has a high moisture content and consequently poor
quality. (http://www2.winrock.org/volunteer/assignment.asp?BU=False&id=4985
November 20, 2010)

A study was conducted to determine the effect of different drying methods

usually practice by farmers in Northern Luzon, Philippines in drying their rice
(palay) after harvest. Three varieties used as test crop for drying were: IR-
64(A1), PSB Rc-10 (A2), and PSB Rc-82 (A3) and the different drying methods
used were T1 (Drying in the highway), T2 (Undisturbed pavement), T3 (Drying
over a netted plastic fabric on concrete pavement), T4 (Drying in a netted plastic
fabric over soil surface, T5 (Flash dryer) and T6 (Mechanical Flatbed Dryer). The
treatments were arranged in a modified split-plot designed designating variety as
the main plot and drying methods as the subplot. It was conducted during the dry
season harvest of April 2003. The sub drying studies, flash and mechanical
drying studies were conducted at Isabela State University, Echague, Isabela and
the drying on highways were conducted in San Isidro, Isabela and at Alicia-San
Mateo Road, Alicia, Isabela.

Results showed that no varietals difference were noted in the physical

losses of grain during drying as well as on milling quality, except in eating quality
where IR-64 and PSB Rc-82 had exhibited superiority in sensory traits with the
PSB Rc-10. On the other hand, drying rice on the highways significantly
increased the physical losses during drying by as much as nine percent.
 Inversely, minimal grain losses with no significant differences were
incurred in drying rice using the other methods such as drying on a netted plastic
fiber over pavement, and over soil surface as well those dried in mechanical
flatbed and flash dryer. Moisture reduction and drying rates were significantly
faster in highway drying than those grains dried in other methods of drying.

Highway drying produced a significantly greater number of cracked

kernels as a consequence of rapid moisture reduction and impact of the vehicles
passing over the grains during drying with poor milling recovery. Minimal or
lesser cracked kernels or broken rice in rice dried in plastic fabric over concrete,
soil surface, mechanical flatbed and flash dryer with excellent milling and brown
rice recovery, greater head rice and higher milling degree. Germination is very
low in rice dried in the highways while rice dried in the other methods exhibited
greater percentage germination, faster germination rate and faster seedling
establishment. Seedling root-shoot ration was reduced by highway drying but not
in the rice dried in netted plastic fabric over the soil, mechanical flatbed and flash
dryer. Higher seedling survival rate was shown by the rice dried on netted plastic
fabric, mechanical flatbed dryer and flash dryer and the amylose-amylopectin
ration reduced in rice dried in mechanical flash and netted plastic fabric. Hence, it
is recommended to use netted plastic fabric over the soil, mechanical flatbed and
flash dryer to maintain if not to improved the milling, seed, seedling and eating
quality of rice. (http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search/display.do?
f=2008/PH/PH0807.xml;PH2008000435-November 20, 2010 )

The need to increase grain quality and to reduce physical losses due to
inefficient drying operation prompted the researchers to design and construct a

palay dryer . PAKI-EXPAND PO ITO, DITO UNG

INSERTION PO NG MGA SENTENCES NA
IDADAGDAG.The objective of this research is to design an alternative
palay dryer that could solve the existing problems on paddy drying which include:
drying the rice paddy on the optimum moisture content under the sun takes a lot
of time, existing paddy drying machines contribute to pollution, and dust from
palay is hazardous to a person’s health.