Grain handling and storage practices of grain traders in Kenya and its implications in reducing food losses

Abstract

Post-harvest losses occur during storage mainly due to spills, fungal contamination, and pest damage. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the effect of post-harvest management and sanitation practices by grain traders on the quality of stored grains in Kenya. A total of 342 grain traders, distributed among three counties, namely Nairobi, Embu, and Machakos, were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Maize and common beans were the main crops stored in trader’s stores. Most of the traders obtained grains from the retail brokers (39.9%) and most of the grain stores were rented (73.3%). Traders sold stocks of grains less than a month and in the first three months. The grain traders used mainly propylene bags (>84%) and bought new propylene bags for the new stock (51%). The highest proportion of grains was sold to individual consumers or local retailers. Grain sampling followed by sorting and drying were the main procedures carried out within the traders’ stores after receiving new stock. In case of deteriorated grains caused by fungal infection, insect, or other factors, most traders immediately sold the grains while other traders sold to animal feed manufacturers. Most traders had knowledge of grain standards, but more than 95% of them used their own standards to grade their grains, and < 3% of the traders used East African grain standards. Inspection of insects infestation in stores by traders was ranked first (95.4%) followed by rodents (71.7%) and mold contamination (42.5%). These findings highlight the intervention needed in the practices of grain traders to reduce food losses.