Business Development Services - Bayman Potato Storage
1. Importance of Potato for Farmers in Central Afghanistan
Potato is an important food source and its impotence in the list of foods is in progress. Potato is the most widely cultivated vegetable in the world. Importance of potato as a food source, the easiness of its production, storage and transporting is the reason for increasing rate of its use and therefore became as a very important food resource like wheat and rice.
Bamyan is located in the central highlands of Afghanistan. Bamyan Climate is one of coldest in the country. Temperature reaches into 35°C in summer and -30°C in winter, and the wind chill factors lowering this by an additional -20°C. Most of Bamyan population is working in agricultural and animal husbandry. Wheat, grain and potato are main agriculture products of this area. It is estimated that 30 thousand metric tons of potatoes are producing yearly in this province. Bamyan potatoes have high quality among other areas and are the most preferable in the market.
One of the biggest problems of the potato agronomists in Bamyan province is lack of proper storages for their potatoes with enough capacities. This is the reason for selling potatoes in low prices in harvest season every year. Some small quantities of potatoes that are storing by farmers in initial storage and initial systems, are facing freezing every year and the farmers lose their products at least partially.
2. Potato Storage
To store potato for a long time (more than six months); the storage temperature most preserve at low degrees and should have a suitable ventilation system. The storage should also have proper humidity. The optimal situation for potato storage is 4-10 C° degrees temperature and 95% RH for potato storage for a period of 6 to 10 months.
Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) started a plan for building a modern potato storage with big capacity in Bamyan in 2008 to help farmers in this area. To implement this plan in Bamyan, CCA was selected by MRRD. After deep researches, CCA designed a suitable potato storage model for Bamyan situations with 200 metric tons capacity and suitable for preserving potatoes for 6 to 10 months. This potato storage is also useful for storing other vegetables and fresh fruits.
CCA tried to find entrepreneurs in Bamyan to implement this design. The entrepreneurs should agree to provide %50 of storage building expenditure and one year running cost. CCA done a long time survey at central Bamyan and Yakawlang districts villages for this propose. Finally it found a team of five local farmers and businessmen for this purpose. They registered a small business company named "Sayed Abad Bamyan LTD" in the Ministry of Trade and Industries. After registration of this company the instruction of storage building started and took time from end of August to December 2008.
Sayed Abad Bamyan potato storage with its structure and capacities is the first in Afghanistan. This store has more than 200 mt capacity and the potatoes will store in a fresh condition up to 10 months at this storage. This storage established in 600 m2 lands and the foundation of instruction is about 386 m2 with the following capacities and specifications:
- 10 storing rooms of 12 m2 area
- 3 storing rooms of 21 m2 area
- A corridor with 56.76 m2 area
- Entry hall, 36.8 m2
- Total area of the 13 rooms is 194.13m2 and the capacity of storage is about 195 m t potatoes
- Office roam (122 m) with a hall (8 m2) on top of the storage
The roof of the storage insulated by mad and straw which prevents cold and warm air to influence inside the storage and affect the potatoes. Ventilation canals and ventilator fans outfitted to inject fresh air inside and take away the steams outside the store. If the temperature goes under 4°celsius, the end of circulation pipes will be shut off and the heater be on up to reaching the temperature to 6°celsiuse. The existing humidity in underground is very useful for potatoes and if the humidity goes down, the sprinkle water on floor of storage. The 2KW generator will provide energy for ventilator fans and needed light to inside of storage. Referring to above instances less energy will be used to run this storage and it is very suitable with climate of Bamyan.