All over the country, the Egyptian farmers are accustomed to store their agricultural products in mud bins, store rooms, or in all-purpose rooms which are built from local materials such as clay mixed with chopped wheat straw, sun dried bricks, palm stems, wood, bricks or stones
Mud bins
The traditional farmers' bins are spread all over the villages of Egypt. They are constructed usually by farmers' wives from the mud which is mixed with chopped wheat straw. They have various forms and sizes; often located on the roofs of homes, but sometimes inside a room or in front of the house. Bin capacity varies from about 0.5 to 10 Ardeb (1 Ardeb = 150 kgs wheat). Most of the bins have cracks, crevices, which filled with dust and broken grains, offering places for concealment of insects.
Most of the farmers close the mud openings tightly after filling it with grain, but some of them let it open or put a basket on its top as a cover, so that rodent damage or insect infestation can easily occur. Paddy rice, wheat, maize, beans, flour, barley, sorghum (millet), onions, and dates are stored in such bins.
The harvested produces are stored for a period of 3-12 months in the bins.
According to the locality, grains are mixed with oven ash, salt or chilli pepper for protection of grain from stored product insects.
If the bins are closed tightly after filling, the grain will not become infested by the insects. In this case, the product could be stored over one year without serious damage by rodents, birds or insect pests.
Storage in all-purpose rooms
Most of the farmers are keeping their produces (wheat, rice, seeds, animal feed, pulses, and potatoes) in heaps, jute or plastic bags in one room of their houses. The room is mostly constructed of the same building materials as the house itself. The doors of the rooms are made of wood and usually do not close well. Because of very poor hygiene, rodents and insects attack the stored commodities inside these rooms and cause heavy losses.
Storage on house-roofs
Maize is always stored in cobs on the roof of the farmers' homes. Before putting the corn cobs, a layer of maize straw is spread on the roof, then the cobs are stored by the farmers, their wives or sons in one or more layers.
Some farmers cover the maize with another corn straw layer, but others leave it uncovered. In some cases they store the cobs after removing their husks.
The storage periods varies from 3-12 months. Corn is exposed in this method to rodent attack and infestation by stored products insects.
Storage in store rooms or granaries
Store rooms or granaries are found all over Egypt, in villages and cities.
These are belonging to co-operatives, merchants, private companies and governmental institutions (PBDAC). The granary is constructed of bricks and cement according to the specifications known for building of modern stores. The ceiling and walls are plastered with cement. The store has always two or more windows covered with mosquito wire gauze to enhance aeration and to prevent entry of flying insects and rodents. The door is made of metal or wood. Store floor is isolated with tar to avoid earth humidity. These granaries have various dimensions: length 6-8 m, width 4-6 m, and height 3-4 m. In such granary the products are stored in plastic or jute bags or in heaps for a period of 3-8 months.
Underground storage
In the villages near the desert and in the oases, grains are sometimes stored in sand ditches.In the Nile Delta, there are some villages such as Kafr Dawoud, Barhiem, where faba beans are stored by the farmers or merchants in underground pits. These pits are nearly conical, two meters in diameter, and three meters high. Through one opening at the top, grain can be either introduced or removed. The pit is excavated in the soil with the floor and sides, well pressed and plastered. As the pits are filled, the floors and walls are lined with straw and finally sealed with mud. Because carbon dioxide is produced by the beans and other biological factors, and thus accumulated in the pit, the infestation does not increase.
The testa also remain white instead of turning brown as in the case with beans stored in the sun light.
Beans stored in such pits have better commercial cooking properties and are stored for 3-12 months.
About one third of the locally produced wheat and 60% of corn are stored on farm level.