Innovations The Bullet Santi Hebal Healer Grain Storage	Food grain storage innovation no: 1127 catagory: Seed preservation innovator: Ms. Puriben Suva location: Junagadh, Gujarat, India Puriben Suva of Junagadh district, Gujarat, has been, engaged in farming and maintaining livestock for many years. Monsoon, in Saurashtra region, being irregular and erratic, makes it mandatory for the people that when the harvest is bountiful, the excess is put aside for future needs. In times of drought, people rely solely on the stored food grains. Puriben has been experimenting with various methods of the protection and storing of food grains. In Saurashtra, during the monsoon season many pulses like moong, math, urad, katlthi and chowli, are sown. The crop yield depends on the rainfall. After the pulses are harvested, they are allowed to dry in the 'Khala' (enclosures). The Khalas' are designed so that the pulses dry during the day in the sunlight, and, during the night it dries in the breeze. The dried pulses are filled in tins or mud vessels. Puriben devised an extremely cost effective method of storing these pulses. Sand/mud is collected from fences and hedges of the farmlands and from roadsides. This is then thoroughly mixed with chilli powder. The proportion is 100 grams of chilli powder for every 10 kgs of mud. A two-inch layer of this mixture is spread at the bottom of the storage container. On top of this, a two-inch layer of pulses is spread. Again a layer of the mud and chilli powder mixture is spread on top of the pulses (which can be of one inch subsequently). This procedure is followed till the container is full. The last layer covering the pulses must again be two inches thick. In this way the pulses can be stored for six to eight years. Copyright 2007 Honey Bee Network. Terms of use.		Related Links More innovations Search the database of 10,000 grassroots innovations » HB Worldwide