It is very obvious that the major chunk of the harvest does not get sold at once. Most of the harvest gets stored and either gets shipped to a larger market or gets stored for a longer time to save some future purposes. Well then, it is very clear that harvest is then not the sole most important part of farming. To begin with, the farming itself entails a rigorous list of steps that ought to be followed not only diligently but also in a very systematic manner. Likewise, the farmers need to chop off the crops at the right hour of the harvest season – not too early nor too delayed.

Hence, timing is the key aspect of farming. Once, the harvest gets done with, the crops are sorted according to the quality and also according to the present demand at the respective markets. The crops that are of the highest priced lot and are of the best quality ought to be kept at the storage. Now, it is needless to mention that not all farmers can attain the largest storage containers. All the more, not all do the farmers have large fields or to say, there might be small land owners or can be crop sharers.

So, for these farmers, it is very important that there needs to be provision for smaller storage containers. Over the years, various kinds of small storage containers have been used and are being used now as well. The most common storage means for the small land owners are the cellars, evaporative cool chambers, clamps and ventilated storage structures. Here in, in greater detail we have brought to you the very many possible ways by which the farmers can make use of the cost effective smaller storage means to keep intact their harvest.

The 2 most common and important low cost storage ways

1) Cellars are the widely used cost effective storage usage primarily used by the small land owners in India

The farmers in India have to grow a wide range of crops, mainly the grains and most importantly the fruits and the vegetables. It is needless to mention that the farmers tend to use a variety of the fertilisers and the various kinds of pesticides, so, it is extremely vital that the crops ought to be washed thoroughly. Then, the crops need to be rinsed and dried well.

Once, the crops gets well dried either by the passage of hot air or through medium drying, they need to be packed well for storage. The cellars as the name suggests might means underground cells or prisons but in the context of agriculture, they refer to the underground spaces where in the grains and various types of fruits can be stored with ease.

These cellars can be semi underground as well depending upon the humidity and the temperature that needs to be maintained by the respective crops. These structures within the top layer of the earth not only help the stored crops from rotting but also keeps them from getting frozen. If the crops get frozen in the chilly winters, then, the quality of the crops will degrade at a faster rate, hence crashing the market incomes. To prepare the cellars, it is very important to dig an underground pit of at least 8 feet deep. Then, the pit needs to be covered with tough wooden planks all around except the upper portion.

2)  The clamps are also very vital means for the storing of various kinds of crops

Potatoes are the most important and the very popular food of the Indians. The clamps are usually used for the storage of tuber crops and also for the root crops. These crops need steady ventilation and properly regulated cooling throughout the storage season. The clamps can be easily prepared. These clamps stand as heaps which are layered on the outer part with the thick layer of soil and the next inner layer with the straw.

A proper ventilation hole needs to be designed well and it must act as the chimney type outlets. These storage means are primarily used for the temporary cases and are extremely cheap to afford. It is very important and to keep it effective, the clamps need to be kept aerated and should not be darkened. With extra darkening of the clamps, the crops might get damaged and can be easily decayed. These are used in the cooler climates but however, in the warmer climates also with prior construction material, they can be made to store the crops.

Hopefully, with these low cost storage means, the farmers can efficiently store the crops with great care.