Drying paddy under the sun is cheap and environment-friendly, but it has its limitations. The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice; www.philrice.gov.ph), together with Nong Lam University in Vietnam, worked to construct the reversible airflow flatbed dryer to address the problem of uneven drying of paddy.
This video discusses the limitations of sundrying and introduces mechanical drying as a way to maintain high grain quality and reduce losses. It presents the reversible airflow flatbed dryer, its main components, key features, and how it works. Filipino farmers share their stories and the benefits they have experienced since using the dryer. These farmers were able to install these dryers through the Postharvest Learning Alliance initiated by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI;irri.org) and PhilRice.
This partnership video is a product of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium of IRRI and PhilRice with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Asian Development Bank.