Menu
Sustainable Organic Food Production and Postharvest Handling
Enhancing Food Safety, Quality, and Market Access for Farmers and Traders”
Our Work
- Promotes postharvest handling best practices because the traditional granary storage, in the direct sun, bare floor drying , unpredictable weather pattens makes the old food handling practices unhygienic and unsustainable
- Greenhouse Management, we use natural sun and circulated airflow to dry grains and reduce its moisture content by about 2 to 3 percentage points
- Grain monitoring to successfully preserve grain quality and quantity, we monitor and to track grain temperature, humidity, moisture content, and to ensure carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are within the recommended 4500- 600 ppm
- Advocate for effective food production and postharvest handling solutions to reduce aflatoxin contamination
- Support farmers to grow specialty high value organic commodities such as coffee, cocoa, and vanilla
- We offers mycotoxins and aflatoxin testing services for essential grains such as maize, rice, coffee , and cocoa to ensure the grains are safe for human consumption
- Biridi a link to connect farmers, and traders to new markets for high value organic commodities
- Provide organic coffee seeds to farmers in Bududa, Bufuma, Mabono, Bushiyi, Busano and Sipi
- Biridi controls disease, pests, and weeds, we rely on hand weeding, mulching cover crops, and crop rotation as a safer alternative to chemicals
Our Services
Postharvest Handling
Biridi Storage System
Natural Air Drying:
Our Values
Our Story
Birid was established to bring every farmer in every village together to close the postharvest handling gaps so everyone can enjoy the benefits of a united cooperative society that works to uplift our farmers out of poverty. This work begins at the grassroots with teaching farmers effective food production and postharvest handling practices to reduce aflatoxin contamination.
Through Biridi’s leadership farmers and grain traders will be able to tackle food production and postharvest handling challenges which will boost exports for Uganda’s high value commodities. Biridi is dedicated to creating new opportunities for farmers, together, and for the first-time ever, we will create a lasting change that uplifts our rural farming communities out of poverty.
In Uganda, 16.4 % of all grains are lost annually to insects ,rodents, and mold. The loss is an equivalent of 382,418 tons of food wasted. If the wasted food could be recovered , it would feed more than one million hungry people. It’s clear that these losses can rarely be met by farmers, traders or government alone. Given this precarious situation and the changing climate, effective food production and postharvest loss reduction needs to be at the center of strategies for sustainable development. It’s Biridi’s belief that reducing the postharvest losses in our communities, could be a sustainable solution to increase food availability, reduce pressure on natural resources, eliminate hunger and improve the livelihoods of our rural farmers. To act, Biridi has stepped up to become a credible voice for effective food production and postharvest handling practices.
Organic Food Benefits to You
- Eating organic grain products reduces your exposure to elevated levels of harmful pesticides and other chemicals.
- Organic food and organic meat products are shown to contain significantly less pesticides, antibiotics, and other chemicals
- Avoiding pesticide exposure reduces health risks associated with cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and poor reproductive health
MYCOTOXINS
Mycotoxins are toxic substances produced by mold sometimes found in cereal grains such as maize, rice, beans, and wheat. Activated by relative humidity of 67-70 % air surrounding the grain, and at 75 % fungal spores begins to activate and moisture develops. This is the expertise Biridi organics offers to grain dealers and farmers by monitoring produce to ensure the food is safe for human consumption.
AFLATOXIN
Aflatoxin is a chemical toxin produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. The two mold species grow and produce aflatoxins at temperatures over 68 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity conditions between 85-99%. Biridi is equipped to rapidly assess grains for aflatoxins before they are sold and consumed. Aflatoxins are carcinogens and exposure causes liver cancer, birth defects, stunting, and large doses of aflatoxins causes acute poisoning (aflatoxicosis) or death.
Biridi’s Intervention
- Sensitizing local farmers and grain traders about the effect of mycotoxins in the staple food systems.
- Promoting effective food production, processing, and postharvest handling to reduce aflatoxin contamination.
- Offering grain monitoring services as key to successfully preserving grain quality and quantity.
- Grain testing technology for rental (temperature thermistors, humidity sensors, moisture content testers, and carbon dioxide meters).
POSTHARVEST LOSSES
Uganda has a dominant role in supplying staple foods to neighboring countries such as Kenya, South Sudan, and Rwanda. The country benefits from abundant rainfall and two growing seasons, yet Uganda produces only a fraction of its potential capacity for food production. Postharvest handling is the area with the potential for significantly increasing the supply of staple foods available for consumption and export.
POSTHARVEST LOSS CONSQUENCES
- Maize losses are highest in Eastern Uganda, estimated at 16.4 % or 382,418 tons, enough to feed 1 million hungry families
- Rice losses are estimated at 13.3 % or 43,524 tons, highest in rice growing districts of Busoga, Budaka and Palisa
- Sorghum losses are estimated at 12.6 % or 38,485 tons. Sorghum is specialty a crop for making bear and stapple for northern Uganda communities
- Millet losses are estimated at 12.3 % or 44,143 tons, enough to 195,000 people annually
- Wheat-losses are estimated at 13.3 % or (3,071 tons)
POSTHARVEST BENEFITS
There are many benefits of postharvest handling, below are the main ones you can expect to be implemented when you contact us
- Grain Storage Warehouse, Biridi will receive grains from farmers, process ,and store it until the prices are high
- Biridi agro-processing experts know that inadequate drying cause grains to grow mold which significantly increase losses, affects quality and price margins. We will teach you how to safely maintain food quantity, quality, minimize storage losses, and limit your exposure to aflatoxin contamination
- Biridi is training farmers on how to make organic manure, crop rotation, and growing crop without using artificial fertilizers or chemicals
- Biridi will provide you useful information on how to extend the shelf life of your crops and limit early food ripening or rotting
- Biridi promises to improve food production systems, track the items from the farm, warehouses and to the plate.
GRAIN HANDLING SERVICES
- Postharvest Handling
- High value commodities purchase and export
- Natural Air Greenhouse Drying
- Mycotoxin and Aflatoxin testing
- Grain Storage Warehouses
Postharvest losses in Uganda before the produce reaches the consumer. Between 15 16.4 & of crop production may be lost along the postharvest stages.
Harvesting & Drying in the field
- Birds
- Wildlife
- Insects
- Fungi
- Rain
- Sprouting
- Shattering
- Timing
- Left behind
- Theft
Transporting from the field
- Breakage
- Spillage
- Contamination
- Theft
Drying
- Livestock
- Rain
- Fungi / bacteria
- Rodents
- Sprouting / rotting
- Soil contamination
- Theft
Threshing and Shelling
- Breakage
- Spillage
Winnowing
- Breakage
- Spillage
Household Storage
- Insects
- Rodents
- Fungi / bacteria
- Sprouting / rotting
- Contamination
- Theft
Transporting
- Spillage
- Fungi / bacteria
- Poor planning
Storage
- Damages
- Contamination
- Poor market info
- Poor transport networks
- Theft
Consequences of postharvest loss (PHL)
- Decreases the amount of food available for consumption, raising prices and reducing consumer access
- Reduces food quality through the loss of caloric and nutritional value, contamination, and teste
- Wasted the resources used to produce the lost food (organic seeds, fertilizers, water and labor)
- Reduces incomes of farmers and traders
Postharvest loss Cost
- Maize losses are highest in Eastern Uganda, estimated at 16.4 % or 382,418 tons, enough to feed 1 million hungry families
- Rice losses are estimated at 13.3% or 43,524 tons)and highest in rice growing districts of Eastern Uganda
- Sorghum losses are highest in Northern Uganda, estimated at 12.6 % or 38,485 tons. specialty crop for breweries and can feed 160 thousand people
- Millet losses are estimated at 12.3 % or 44,143 tons, enough to 195 thousand people annually
- Wheat-losses are estimated at 13.3 % or (3,071 tons)
Why You should Invest in Biridi
- Uganda is blessed with the best fertile soils, low temperatures variability, fertile soil and two rainy seasons for food production and postharvest handling
services and 68% of Ugandans are employed in agriculture sector. - Biridi food production and post-harvest handling services, input supply, value addition processing
- Support farmers to grow specialty high value organic commodities such as coffee, cocoa, and vanilla
Our Services Information
Biridi Natural Air Drying?
Natural Air Drying:
Biridi Storage System
Biridi Natural Air Drying?
Natural air drying is a process whereby grain is dried naturally by allowing air to pass through and around it , assisted by properly sized self-propelled fans to remove moisture. This method is achieved by exposing the grain to the sun energy, circulated fans , and cool ambient air. At Biridi Greenhouses, the grain is placed in an aerated tray system and the temperature and airflow are monitored continuously to make sure that the grain is dried properly. Natural air-drying process works by passing air over the grain, which draws out the moisture. The temperature of the air is controlled to maintain a safe drying rate and as an organic entity natural air drying is an effective, economical way to dry grain.
Natural Air Drying:
- Is an organic, and cheap way to dry grain.
- Preserves grain quality compared to drying items on a bare floor,
- Maintaining the grain’s flavor, aroma, color and texture.
- Cheapest way to dry grain without worrying about the rain
- Free from Mycotoxins, an opportunity for farmers and grain traders to get more money for their grain
- Reduces the carbon footprint of grain harvesting and drying, which can mean a lower environmental impact
Biridi Storage System
Our future plan is to install galvanized steel silos are equipped with PLC-operated grain conveying systems and automated grain monitoring systems. The galvanized silo systems are preferred because they have been scientifically proven to be safe grain storage systems and tightly constructed to ensure there is no wastage and moisture. Additionally, they’ll be equipped with a pre-cleaning and sorting system which cleans the grain before storage which is effective in managing grain quality to limit static pressure for fans to push or pull air through during aeration.
Drop Us a Line
Contact Us
Here We Area
Call Us On
Work: +256 777 334265
WhatsApp: 0777 334265
