The Role of Fumigation in Preventing Post-Harvest Losses

Post-harvesting is a phase when ripened crops are collected and stored in warehouses. It’s the most critical phase, as there is more likelihood that pests, diseases, and microorganisms can attack stored crops during this phase. Post-harvest losses are one of the most common problems in the agriculture industry, due to which tons of food are affected every year. One of the most effective ways to prevent these losses is by using an effective pest control process known as fumigation. Fumigation is one of the pest control methods to control the buildup of harmful pests by using a gaseous fumigant that is lethal enough to kill pests. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of fumigation to prevent post-harvest losses and how it can help to reduce the rate of food scarcity worldwide.

The Extent of Post-harvest losses:

Post-harvest losses are one of the main problems in the agricultural sector because, according to an estimate, 30% of annually produced food is lost in the post-harvest phase. There are a variety of factors responsible for this loss, including pests, diseases, and crop damage during storage and transportation. Moreover, it has also been estimated that 50% of all food manufactured per year is lost after the harvesting stage. This issue must be addressed in order to reduce food waste caused by pests. Fumigation is one of the important processes that can be executed to control pests found on crops.

Role of Fumigation in Preventing Post-Harvest Losses

Fumigation is one of the most reliable processes to control pest infestations found on stored crops. It utilizes the gaseous toxic substance that is lethal to pests. This process is effective to kill all kinds of pests, including immature stages, i.e., egg, larvae, nymph, and adult. Phosphine is the most common fumigant to kill pests. The pest control method can be utilized for a variety of crops, including grains, pulses, fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural commodities. The fumigation process can help reduce crop damage by controlling pests and diseases. It also improves the overall quality of crops by reducing the risk of contamination. Fumigation also helps to avoid economic losses by preventing post-harvest losses.

Benefits of the fumigation process to prevent post-harvest losses

Benefits of the fumigation process to prevent post-harvest losses are as follows.

Reduce food waste: Fumigation is a beneficial process to reduce food waste by preventing post-harvest losses. It protects food and improves crop quality as well., which is the global need.

 Improves food security: Fumigation helps to protects food from contamination and spoilage by ensuring that food is safe for consumption.

Increased crop quality: Fumigation removes the likelihood of food contamination and thereby improves crop quality.

Reduced economic losses: Fumigation reduces economic losses by preventing post-harvest losses.

Method of fumigation: 

Fumigation is a pest control method that utilizes gaseous substances to kill pests. Most commonly used fumigation methods are as follows.

Methyl bromide fumigation: It is one of the most common methods of pest control that uses methyl bromide fumigant to kill pests.

Phosphine Fumigation: It is one of the widely used methods of pest control that utilizes phosphine fumigant to kill pests. It is most commonly used method to control pests from grains and vegetables.

Carbon dioxide: It uses carbon dioxide to kill pests and diseases. It is mostly employed for treating vegetables and fruits.

Conclusion

Post-harvest losses are one of the main problems in the agricultural sector that affect crops by a variety of factors, including pests, diseases, and physical damage to crops. The process plays a major role in reducing food waste and boosting food security. It improves the overall quality and yield of crops. Fumigation is helpful to improve the overall efficiency and sustainability by improving food quality, reducing food waste, decreasing post-harvest losses, and increasing crop yield. As the world is growing, it is important that we explore ways to reduce post-harvest losses in order to improve global food security. Fumigation is one of the important tools to achieve this goal.

Our Fumigation Services in Sharjah

Our fumigation services in Sharjah are one of the most effective pest control firms functioning according to international standardized protocols. We are municipality-approved pest control firms to control pests from your residential and commercial places effectively. We have well-trained and well-qualified pest control technicians to remove all kinds of pests from your premises efficiently. We offer the following kinds of services to our valued customers.

1. Cargo Fumigation

2. Warehouse Fumigation

3. Grain fumigation

4. Tent Fumigation

5. Shipping container fumigation

6. Chamber Fumigation

7. House Fumigation

Contact us now to get most excellent fumigation services in Sharjah.