The oilseed sector is a major part of South Africa’s overall agricultural industry. Crop estimate data from the Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) shows that South African farmers plant around 555 000 to 560 000 hectares of sunflowers each year, producing between 700 000 and 710 000 tonnes of sunflower seeds.
These seeds are the main feedstock for the country’s vegetable oil crushing plants, animal feed manufacturers and food processing sectors. Sunflower seeds are mainly grown in the Free State, North West and Limpopo provinces.
It’s important for farmers to keep their post-harvest logistics affordable and efficient to remain profitable. Large volume containers that balance affordability, structural strength and crop protection are needed to efficiently store and transport the lightweight sunflower seeds from the farm to the processing facility.
Custom Bulk Bags (CBB) can produce up to 3.5 million flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs), also known as bulk bags, every year for farmers and food processors in South Africa and neighbouring countries. These flexible woven containers can store up to two tonnes of seed per bag.
Optimising storage of sunflower seeds
Farmers should consider switching from traditional 25kg or 50kg small sacks or loose-tipping open trucks to one-tonne bulk bags for the following reasons:
- Labour and handling costs are reduced – Manually loading and unloading hundreds of small sacks per truck is labour-intensive and slow. Bulk bags offer large volumes combined into manageable units. Forklift and tractor operators can load flatbed trailers in a fraction of the time, reducing on-farm labour costs and minimising truck turnaround times at crushing plants.
- Protection against sifting and spillages – Sunflower seeds are light and flowable and are susceptible to being blown out of open-topped vehicles during highway transport. FIBCs with seals and inner liners can help to keep the payload protected from spillage on the road and from moisture and dirt from the outside.
- Avoiding seed damage and bruising – High oil content seeds are susceptible to pressure and friction. When over-crushing or skin splitting occurs during transport, oxidation is increased, causing the oil to degrade and become rancid. Bulk bags made of woven polypropylene are a great way to protect seeds from transport vibration and keep the load stable.
- Optimised warehouse space – Bulk bags are designed for safe stacking. Used at farm silos, storage sheds or retail distribution hubs, they make the most of vertical warehouse space. When empty, FIBCs fold flat, taking up very little space in storage and greatly reducing costs of return trip transportation.
Ideal design specs for sunflower seed FIBCs
Sunflower seeds are low in bulk density (roughly 400 to 450 kg per cubic metre) and high in oil content, so off-the-shelf industrial bags are not the right fit for the job. CBB custom engineers FIBCs for oilseed logistics. Living seeds give off moisture and heat. Raw sunflower seeds stored in an airtight plastic container will cause condensation and heating in some areas, which will provide an excellent breeding ground for mould and eventual decomposition of the seeds.
CBB uses unlaminated woven polypropylene fabric which is breathable and allows for continuous air circulation throughout the bag core, dissipating heat and keeping seeds dry. In addition, we can fit FIBCs with internal baffles for extra support. Filled bulk bags will naturally expand outwards. Adding internal fabric baffles keeps the square footprint rigid when full.
Bulk bags can be equipped with customised top filling spouts and bottom discharge spouts for smooth integration with combine harvesters, grain augers and industrial oil-pressing machinery. Top spouts prevent the dispersion of dust and chaff during loading. Bottom discharge spouts enable crushing plants to discharge seeds evenly into processing hoppers without bruising the seeds.
Your dependable packaging supplier
In an industry with narrow harvest windows and where timing is a make-or-break factor, packaging delays can derail an entire season for farmers. By importing packaging from overseas, farmers are exposed to shipping backlogs, port congestion and exchange rate volatility.
CBB is based in Durban, and together with our sister company, Integrated Polypropylene Products (IPP), we control the entire production process, from the extrusion of polymer tapes, through to circular weaving and custom printing.
CBB can guarantee timely seasonal delivery of bulk packaging; your bulk bags will arrive just when harvest starts thanks to quick production turnaround times. We adhere to strict quality controls. Each bag is stress-tested to 5:1 or 6:1 Safety Factors (SF) and constructed with robust UV stabilisation to withstand African sun exposure.
Farmers should opt for affordable, customised FIBC containers made especially for South African farming to protect your sunflower seeds. Please contact us today to chat with our sales team about bulk bag offerings.
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Custom Bulk Bags is a major South African manufacturer of woven polypropylene bags for various industries, including mining, chemicals and agriculture. We are a Level 1 B-BBEE supplier that falls under the ownership structure of Deneb Investments Limited. For more information on our products, contact sales@custombulkbags.co.za.
