June 13, 2022. To guide grain operators/handlers on the appropriate handling, storage, and transport of bagged grains, the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (DA-BAFS) developed the Explanatory Manual (EM) for Philippine National Standard (PNS) on Good Warehousing Practices (GWP) for Bagged Grains (PNS/BAFS 193:2017).
Rice and corn, the leading crops and main staples produced in the country, increased in production at an average annual rate of 2.4% and 3.1%, respectively, from 2016 to 2022. However, about 5 to 10% of grain value is lost during the postproduction operations, which would escalate to 50% due to poor management. 2-6% of the quantitative damage came from storage, a postproduction practice, based on Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - Postharvest losses.
Storage is responsible for safeguarding the grains against adverse weather, moisture, rodents, insects, and micro-organisms. With a proper storage system, the quality of grains will not deteriorate quickly.
The EM is supplementary material containing additional notes and photographs about specific provisions of the said PNS.
To read and download EM and other knowledge products developed, visit our website at http://bafs.da.gov.ph. ###