Birds cause significant postharvest issues when they gain access to storage facilities. They feed on exposed commodities and foul stored lots with feathers and droppings. Birds also carry external contaminants, field soil, and pathogens into clean storage areas.

Alongside these natural pests, human error often drives postharvest losses. Common issues include improper harvesting or threshing methods that crack grain kernels, inadequate drying before storage, poor transit practices, and overloading transport vehicles, which crushes produce at the bottom.