Post-harvest Processing of Winter Crops in NW Syria

(ICARDA), International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

Post-harvest Processing of Winter Crops in NW Syria

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Date

1980-07-01

Date Issued

1980-07-01

Authors

(ICARDA), International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas

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Citation

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). (1/7/1980). Post-harvest Processing of Winter Crops in NW Syria. Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).

Abstract

This paper summarizes some information on the post-harvest processing of wheat, barley, lentil, vetch, and chickpea in NW Syria. The information was collected during 1978 from 43 interviews in 21 villages in Aleppo Province. The collection and transportation of crops from field to the threshing floor, known as rajad, does not appear to be a problem for any of the crops studied. Nor does threshing appear to be a limiting factor; a large proportion of the cereal crop is threshed mechanically, and some farmers are trying the machines for lentils. Time and labor requirements for winnowing are discussed; losses of straw are reported as greater than those of grain. The cleaning process by sieving is described; this gives an increase in purity of 15 to 20 per cent. Details of sack filling and storage are given. Insect pests are described as a particular storage problem for some farmers, with losses reaching 20 to 30 per cent in extreme cases. The final sections of the paper outline the factors affecting the disposal and sale of the crop by the farmer and the utilization of the aftermath, including grazing, and stubble burning vs. cultivation. The author concludes that there are few post-harvest problems serious enough to be a constraint on the production of winter crops in NW Syria. Attention needs to be given to the factors affecting the adoption of mechanical threshing practices for grain legumes. In the future, demographic trends in Syria may ensure that there is little shortage of labor for post-harvest processing.