Abstract
The main function of storage in the economy is to even out fluctuations in market supply, both from one season to the next and from one year to the next, by taking produce off the market in surplus seasons, and releasing it back onto the market in lean seasons. The post-harvest losses in India amount to 12 to 16 million metric tons of food grains each year which amounts to more than Rs 50,000 crores in monetary terms. Natural contamination of food grains is greatly influenced by various environmental factors such as type of storage structure, temperature, pH, moisture, etc. Safe grain storage methods play an important role in preventing losses which are caused mainly due to weevils, beetles, moths and rodents. It is estimated that 60-70% of food grain produced in the country is stored at home level. The materials used include paddy straw, wheat straw, wood, bamboo, reeds, mud, bricks, cow dung etc .mathematics paly an important role in designing of warehouses. There are some alternative storage technology at farm/village level, which are sacks, metal or plastic drums, alternative solid wall bins (pusa bin, burkino silo, USAID silo, concrete/cement silos, metal silos, and synthetic silos). Bulk storage of produce is done in warehouses. Warehouses are scientific storage structures especially constructed for the protection of the quantity and quality of stored products. The warehouses are owned by Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central warehousing corporation (CWC) or the State Warehousing Corporations (SWC). Under bulk storage, sealing and aeration play important role. The benefits of sealed stores are such that the small costs involved during initial construction (negligible in many cases) should not warrant consideration. Aeration may be ambient or refrigerated, based on the requirements.The factors should be considered when selecting a meter to determine moisture content are resolution repeatability, reliability, stability/drift of measurements, range of commodity, range of moisture content, sample weighing, ambient effect and sample size.