ANNEX 3 - TRADITIONAL SAND STORAGE METHOD WITH SMALL MODIFICATIONS

For farmer which cannot afford economically to make modifications for the storage, sand storage can be still used even though the losses will be higher than with the other systems. Some precautions must be taken:

1. use a well ventilated room with one window so one window and one door (or two windows), on opposite sides to permit air stream inside the storage room;
2. place a plastic film on the floor
3. keep chestnuts in jute sacks to reduce the potential for contamination and place them over the wet sand; the jute sack must not be completely full in order to obtain a 5-10 cm layer;
4. make a 5 cm sand layer on the plastic film, then place a layer of sacks, plus alternative three layers of sand and sacks;
5. open the windows, or the window and the door during the night to create a fresh air stream;
6. wet the sand when necessary but before remove the chestnuts sacks in order to avoid the penetration of water into the sacks; this operation requires more time but it is worthy to avoid contamination and, moreover, is useful for the rotation of the chestnuts inside the sack.

Helpful modification

• if water is easy available and the floor is made of cement, wooden pallets can be used to cover the floor, by placing the jute sacks over the pallet without sands; distribute chlorinated water (one small spoon of commercial bleach for each L) on the clean floor (better if water can run from one side to the other even for few hours per day); this helps to increase the humidity and to keep lower the temperature especially in the first months; windows must be opened during the night but close during the day if outside it is too warm.