The case
A large government project is located in an Eastern cape province of South Africa were approximately 2000 Hectares of Grain is being cultivated.
A major concern that has been experienced in the past is that the communities’ grain is wet and there is an inconsistency in quality as well in cleanliness of the maize, which required urgent attention and which led to the Government to purchase the 2 grain dryers.
Requirement of the project is for their grains to be dried so that they are able to:
- harvest earlier and start early with the sowing of the next crop
- improve the quality and quantity of their grain to be milled in their mill (reducing post-harvest losses)
- secure improved prices. The harvest will be then more resilient to weather changes, and the site will work as a reference hub for the local communities.
The project is endowed with a large grain mill that mills the maize of the surrounding community.
Storage after drying
The project has been endowed with 2 x 100 ton silos that will store the grain in preparation for milling. The milled maize is sold mainly to a large supermarket group in South Africa and shall be of outstanding quality to be accepted from the community.
The solution adopted
The government undertook numerous investigations and have settled and decided on the Mecmar batch grain drying system. Based on the amount of grain that is currently being processed (about 60 ton per day) the Government opted to go for 2 x STR 13 mainly featured by the facts that:
- It is a mobile dryer that gives the flexibility for easy update of the site the layout in the future
- This dryer is easy to be assembled by considering that the machine can go from the container to the field in less than 12 hours
- It is easy to be operated since it needs only 1 tractor, fuel and maize corn to work
The technical specifications of the dryers are as follow:
- Operated by diesel fuel for ease of refill
- Dual drive (PTO & 1 electrical motor) so that the dryer can either be moved and operated by a tractor anywhere or connected to the electrical power supply for releasing the tractor and be operated in one defined location
- With plastic roof (removable), for better working outdoors even in adverse weather conditions.
- With dust aspiration system connected to the top of the central tube gives better cleaning for the grains to be dried. A bag connected to the cyclone, will allow to collect dust particles and manage them separately with consequent protection of the surrounding environment.
The project is supported by province representatives and will be under continuous monitoring and be the model for similar cases showing similar margins for improving the wellness of local farmer communities.
Published data refer to corn and are calculated with mathematical models that use clean and ripe products and in normal operating conditions with 120°C drying air temperature and one hour cool-down time. Please do not hesitate to contact the nearest Mecmar dealer for more information.
Under our policy of continuous improvement, we reserve the right to change specifications provided without prior notice.
