Since ancient times, Indians have realized the importance and need of grain storage in the wake of their seasonal production (one harvest a year), proneness to weather vagaries, and importance as a major food. The Indians developed methods to store grains to ensure household food supplies. Storage of paddy grain, seed, and rice becomes of utmost importance, being the staple diet of two-thirds of the Indian population. Now storage is undertaken at the producer, consumer, trader, and government levels. The bulk of the rice crop is stored as paddy as the grain keeps far better and for a much longer period and it is husked when required. The method and structure of storage may differ depending upon users’ requirements, weather, climate, and level of storage.
Bulk Storage: Government Level
Various kings in India stored grains. Storage structures are mentioned in ancient scriptures such as Ṛgveda (8000 BC), Yajurveda (3000 BC), Sāmveda, and Saṃhitās (7000 BC) (Panini, 600 BC; Varāhmihira,...
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Ahuja, S.C., Ahuja, U. (2014). Rice Paddy Storage in India. In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3934-5_10163-1
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