Assessment of storage and handling of maize grains in Kisenyi and how it affects its quality

Abstract

Maize is one of the staple foods in East Africa, Uganda is a prominent regional producer and exporter of maize to Kenya and other markets especially in the eastern region. The objectives of this study were, (1) to determine the factors which affect the quality of maize in Kisenyi (2) to determine the level of maize quality deterioration in Kisenyi (3) to determine whether the quality lost has a monetary effect on these traders in Kisenyi in order to access whether the quality of maize is affected by handling and storage by the traders of Kisenyi. A cross sectional survey was conducted using a pre-tested questionnaire and simple experiment to determine the quality of maize using the standards EAS2:2013 and through this we assessed the quality of maize grains through observing for foreign smell, live insects and insect damage, weed seeds, moisture content, other edible grains, discoloration, shriveled grains and animal droppings. The results after analysis showed that most of the maize in Kisenyi were pest damaged and there was a low acceptance percentage of insect infestation (36%). The results also indicate the status of maize as being poor due to the poor handling, poor storage practices, poor packaging materials, poor ventilation, etc. this study clearly indicate that Ugandan maize is poor quality and can’t compete well on the regional market.