Cheick Bounama Coulibaly | March 19, 2023
News Brief
Molodo is a village in central Mali, some 150 km from Ségou. The village is known for rice production. Hawa Touré is an experienced rice farmer here, and grows about two hectares of rice. Mrs. Touré belongs to a co-operative called Benso de Molodo, which means “expectations of Molodo” in the local language. Together with the co-operative, Mrs. Touré has been using modern machines to harvest, transport, and dry their rice production to reduce losses since 2021. Mrs. Touré is enthusiastic about the equipment purchased by the co-operative. She says it has made their rice practices more effective and more efficient. Where they used to lose six to seven bags of rice per 100 bags produced, now they lose only half a bag per 100, the equivalent of about 25 kg of rice. These techniques have also improved the skills and commercial reputation of women rice farmers in the region.
Molodo is a village in central Mali, some 150 km from Ségou. The village is known for rice production. Today, like every Thursday, it’s market day in Molodo and, under a midday sun, Hawa Touré has an appointment with rice buyers from Bamako. At 45 years old, Madame Touré is an experienced rice farmer, and grows about two hectares of rice.
Mrs. Touré belongs to a co-operative called Benso de Molodo, which means “expectations of Molodo” in the local language. The co-op focuses on producing, marketing, and drying rice. Together with the co-operative, Mrs. Touré has been using modern machines to harvest, transport, and dry their rice production to reduce losses since 2021.
The co-operative purchased the rice harvesting machines. At the time, the equipment cost her 550,000 CFA, about $850 US. It’s been a worthwhile investment. Mrs. Touré says, “Since we have the machines, the work is easier.”
After harvesting, the co-operative transports their rice by tractor to the threshing floor.
The machinery that rice farmers use in Molodo is locally made. Mrs. Touré says it’s fairly easy to operate and less expensive than imported machines.
But harvesting and transporting aren’t the only challenges for her and the other members of the co-operative. The drying and storage phases of rice production also pose significant risks for post-harvest loss.
After harvesting, rice grains need to be stored in a low-moisture environment before they can be taken to the dryer. Mrs. Touré does this manually by making piles of rice in her field between 10 to 15 metres in diameter and up to 1.5 metres high. The ears of rice are turned towards the inside of the pile to prevent birds from eating the grains.
The drying process must start within 24 hours of harvest to prevent the rice from rotting because of high temperatures and humidity.
The drying process involves three steps. First, the farmers separate the rice grains from the ears in a process called threshing.
Then, they remove impurities such as dirt and plant debris from the grains. This is done by hand in a process called winnowing, which uses the wind to separate small debris from the grains.
Finally, the women dry the rice with an electric dryer, which runs on a generator. Rice is carried through the dryer on a conveyor belt while hot air flows across it. Once dried, the rice enters a cooling zone in the dryer, where cold air is blown across the rice to help lower the temperature. The whole process requires an hour and helps to ensure even, consistent drying of the rice grains.
The average rice grain contains about 25% moisture at harvest. Drying should reduce the moisture content to at most 12%. This prevents the rice from rotting, thereby further reducing losses.
Mrs. Touré is enthusiastic about the equipment purchased by the co-operative. She says it has made their rice practices more effective and more efficient.
She says, “This type of dryer has a capacity of 10 tons of rice per hour. It does not require special climatic conditions like manual drying.”
Manually drying rice involves spreading the rice on the ground or on a tarpaulin in the sun for several days. Mrs. Touré says this practice is difficult because it requires someone to continually watch over the rice to protect it against birds, wind, and thieves.
Using a dryer has enabled Mrs. Touré and her fellow co-op members to reduce post-harvest losses. Where they used to lose six to seven bags of rice per 100 bags produced, now they lose less than half a bag per hundred, the equivalent of about 25 kg of rice.
The speed of the drying machine also allows the women to complete their work more quickly. Before using the dryer, Mrs. Touré and her fellow rice producers often spent 11 or 12 hours drying rice. Now, they complete the same work during one afternoon, which enables them to get the produce to market more quickly.
But Mrs. Touré notes that using the electric dryer is energy-intensive and expensive, as farmers must first purchase the equipment and then regularly purchase fuel.
Mariam Tangara is a technician and advisor at the Office du Niger. She says that women farmers can access equipment such as tillers and tractors by forming co-operatives to cover their expenses. She says that co-operatives can purchase an electric rice dryer for about US $1,000. The cost of operating the electric dryer is 200 FCFA per 50 kg bag of rice (US $0.32). This work is done by a dedicated equipment operator.
These techniques have not only helped women reduce post-harvest losses, but have improved the skills and commercial reputation of women rice farmers in the region. The equipment has also improved the working conditions of the women farmers, as well as their yield and profits.
This resource was supported with the aid of a grant from The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) implementing the Green Innovation Centre project.
Photo: Hawa Touré at market. Credit: Cheick Bounama Coulibaly.