A typical farmer in most underdeveloped countries claims that he doesn’t have to plan prior to the harvesting period. And does not even know that he must plan for harvesting. So, to increase the crop yield of both food and cash crops there must be adequate planning onproper harvesting and adequatestorage. Good and adequate planning begins when there are provisions for store rooms; where the crops are going to be stored. And these store rooms should be made available on the farm to minimize the cost of transportation. Pests one of the main causes of why farmers lose their produce; greatly affects the crop yield directly or indirectly as it may turn out to be a challenge to the farmer to embark on cultivation the next year if he runs at a loss from pests’ invasion. So in order to curb the challenge of poor harvesting, low yields, spoilage, The Mercy Wave in partnership with SUPERJET INDUSTRIAL COMPANY LTD came up with 2 innovative solutions that farmers in the Eastern Parts of Nigeria can utilize to reduce spoilage and losses. These Solutions include:
• refrigerated containers/units,
• cooling systems and cold storage rooms,
These cooling systems and refrigerated units will be deployed to rural communities across eastern parts of Nigeria starting with Enugu State. This will significantly extend the life of fresh produce and reduce spoilage. The ability to store produce on-site will without a doubt empower famers because they are not forced to sell harvested produce at their lowest prices because of fear that the produce might spoil; instead, depending on each crop and its storage needs, farmers can store their produce and can now patiently wait to sell at optimal prices. What’s more, on-site cold storage may mean fresh harvest can endure lengthier delays amid harvesting and shipment to distribution facilities. These storages will minimize spoilage.
In Depth Descriptions of the Aforementioned Solutions:
Refrigerated containers/units: are reasonable substitute to chill rooms. They are also very flexible. These containers can be rented to meet seasonal storage needs.
The temperature in theses cold storage units ranges from -20° C to 10° C. They are extremely portable, durable. What’s more, they are weather and tamper-proof. As far as hygiene goes, these containers are made of aluminum and are therefore easy to clean. One of its magnificent features is its scalability. If a farmer needs more storage unit, he or she can simply request for more from our company.
Cooling Room/Conditioning Room (3000cbm): The expectation used to be that harvested produce will be stored and distributed to customers immediately. However, over a period, there is a huge need to store for higher off-season utilization. The Cooling Room will serve the concentrate facility as well as the needs of every processing plant 100-200 kilometers close to the facility. The Cooling Room will prevent spoilage and condensation issues, avoid hygienic issues like mold, protect packaging against softening and keep the product quality high during the whole storage period.
The climate in the room is controlled and verified daily, keeping conditions strictly at +5°C/55% RH. Under these conditions, the products keep their original quality and freshness, with no product waste due to humidity. The Conditioning Room will be constructed using load-bearing precast walls with a steel supported roof structure. The Conditioning Room and Concentrate Production Line will take up an area space of approximately 2,000 square meter (minimum).The conditioning room will serve as a cold storage and preservation center for cold and perishable goods in and around Enugu Metropolis.
Proposed Implementation Phases & Approaches
Phase I of the project implementation; rural farmers will be registered in our system via the engagement of the Mercy Wave NGO and other local / community-based NGOs
Phase II:Maintenance plan
During the phase II of the field-outing / implementation process, certified technicians shall be identified and registered. These licensed technicians will distribute either the refrigerator units or build and install the cooling system depending on the storage need of the registered rural famer. These technicians will also be required to maintain these units and cooling systems as needed.
Phase III: This phase shall be concerned with the project monitoring and feed-back for improved implementation and subsequent adjustments.
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