Dry rice seed off the ground to ensure top quality

Welcome to our program today. We’re all aware that with the rainy season comes the harvest, and the time to dry the rice seed. It can be very difficult to dry anything due to rain storms at this time, especially your seed. That’s why we’re dedicating the program today to the topic of proper rice seed drying.

First, for your pleasure and relaxation, a bit of music from [name of musician].

Musical interlude

We’re back, and as I said earlier, we are talking today about what you can do to dry your rice seeds during the rainy season and preserve the quality of the seed.

I think I am probably right when I say that most of the farmers listening to this program usually dry their harvest outdoors in the yard, in the field, or at the side of the road. But when the rain starts you have to quickly pick everything up with the fear that it might get wet, right? On top of this, you work all day drying the grains and making sure that the children and the chickens don’t get into them.

But the most serious problem is that drying the seed on the ground can cause it to spoil very soon after threshing. That’s because the seed absorbs moisture from the earth. On top of that, sand, twigs and dirt mix with the seed, which reduces its quality. It’s also possible that different varieties will mix together. But, what is the alternative to drying seed on the ground? What choice do you have?

Listen again to some music and I will get back to you with the answer to those questions.

Musical interlude

Welcome back. I was saying that drying seed on the ground reduces its quality. The grains will deteriorate. So it’s very important to avoid any contact with the soil. Fortunately there are other methods that you can use to dry your seed.

One of these methods comes to us from Bangladesh. Women in Bangladesh use mats, tarpaulins or even better, tables, to dry their seeds. Air can move easily along the surface of the table, which means that the seeds dry more quickly. By drying seeds on the table, these women ensure that the seeds don’t get dirty. And as soon as it rains they quickly bring the table inside the house so the seeds don’t get wet.

These women used to have enormous difficulties drying their seeds during the wet season. But since they learned that the seed can dry even in the shade, and that it is the wind that helps the drying, they haven’t had the same problems.

This is something you could try…using a table to dry your seed. It won’t cost you much to make. All you need are some nails and some wood or some bamboo. This hardly costs anything – everything can come from the farm, except perhaps, for a few nails. If you make the table with bamboo it’s even better because then it’s light to carry. And when the rain is threatening, it’s easy to move.

The table has other uses. You can also use it for drying fish, flour, saffron, peppers and other things. If it’s strong enough and not too high, it could even be used as a bed, or for storage.

Fade in music and hold under host

That’s our program for today. For those who have only heard some of the program, we remind you that we’ve just talked about the benefits of drying your rice seed on a table.

Dear rice farmer, if you want to have a copy of the video programs on seed cleaning, drying and conservation, you can contact [radio broadcaster should give name of local contact person distributing rice videos].

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