~ 844 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2017; SP1: 844-849 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2017; SP1: 844-849 Ashok Kumar Deptt. of Agril. Engineering, Bihar Agricultural College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Satish Kumar Deptt. of Agril. Engineering, Bihar Agricultural College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Sanoj Kumar Deptt. of Agril. Engineering, Bihar Agricultural College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Correspondence Ashok Kumar Deptt. of Agril. Engineering, Bihar Agricultural College, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India Study of Postharvest Technology Interventions for enhancing food security Ashok Kumar, Satish Kumar and Sanoj Kumar Abstract This study was conducted to test and install the modified STR dryer and super grain bags to establish post-harvest technology (PHTs) adoption and willingness to pay for PHT in selected villages of Banka and Bhagalpur districts of Bihar, India. It was observed that drying of cereal and pulses crops in STR dryer can remove the moisture up to 2-4 % in 6 to 8 hours of operation with quality retention of food material. The super grain bags were also tested which could arrest the moisture transmission up to some extent which helps in restoring the highest germination rate with better milling quality of paddy. The ample moisture migration and slight variation in lightness in super grain bags could retain the paddy quality than the other packing materials. It was found that farmer ‘awareness on post-harvest technologies is increasing, especially on dryer and super grain bags. The study concludes that PHTs have received high acceptance by farmers who have awareness and knowledge. However, the technology uptake is limited mainly by price affordability, availability and proximity. The present study recommends for subsidizing PHT products with manufacturers to reduce the current market price and increase more awareness campaigns through agro dealers, physical visits to farmers and farmers associations to increase demand for PHTs among farmers. Keywords: Trainers, Profile of Trainers, training competencies, Constraints in Training Management Introduction Postharvest Loss (PHL) of grains and pulses is expressed as the loss in dry weight and quality, happens during various stages such as at harvesting (4-8%), transportation from farm to home drying process, shelling, winnowing, farm storage (Hodges et al., 2014) [1] . It was estimated that farmers loose between 20-30 percent of their annual harvest due to weevils (Tefara, 2012) [3] . In any form, postharvest loss has an impact on farmers’ income as farmers’ loose quantity and quality of the stored food, which cannot fetch a good market price, and in longer run affect food security. The main causes of postharvest loss for grain is due to improper drying and storage facility which resulting in quality deterioration of grains. Food insecurity is aggravated by postharvest losses. The postharvest loss is defined as the degradation in both quality and quantity of produced foods (Siddiqui et al., 2016) [2] . The quality loss involves the effect on the nutrient caloric composition, the acceptability, and the edibility of grains and pulses; whereas, quantity loss refers to loss of the amount of a product. Postharvest losses can be minimized through postharvest management (Makalle, 2012) [4] and adoption to postharvest technologies. Research on postharvest technologies has resulted the in intervention of modified STR dryer and grain storage techniques including super grain bag, hermetic cocoons, metal and plastic silos (Helvetas and Ansaf, 2016) [5] . The adoption of postharvest technologies (PHTs) in India is emerging. The STR dryer & SGB have been introduced in selected villages of Bhagalpur and Banka districts of Bihar under collaborative project between UIUC and BAU, Sabour to reduce postharvest loss and it is slowly getting some acceptance by farmers. Materials and Methods The study was conducted in selected villages of Bhagalpur and Banka districts of Bihar, India for rice and lentil crops. A mixed method of quantitative and qualitative data collection was used. A Technology trail and cross-sectional survey questionnaire were conducted to determine the performance and demand by categories of PHTs; preference of PHTs, and willingness to pay for PHTs. Whereas; the qualitative methods used an in-depth interview and Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) for understanding end-users’ preference of the PHTs. Two technologies such as STR dryer and Super grain bags were used under this study. STR Dryer The STR dryer consists of inner bin, outer bin, hot air pipe, blower (fan) and stove (chula). The dryer is modified with attaching 1 hp motor, provision of gate valve for ambient air entry