Lok Sabha Question No. 54 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-11
Subject: Crop and Post Harvest Losses
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: DEVJI MANSINGRAM PATEL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 54

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  DECEMBER, 2018

## CROP AND POST HARVEST LOSSES

## 54. SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  steps  to  prevent  crop  and  post  harvest  losses  in Rajasthan and all over the country, if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  study  to  assess  crop  and  post  harvest losses in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the total number of crops included in the above said study; and
- (d) the annual value of crop and post harvest losses of essential produces at the national level?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a): The crop losses can happen due to biotic and abiotic factors. Biotic factors include pest and  disease  and  other  vertebrate  pests.  Abiotic  factors  include  droughts,  floods,  extreme weather conditions such as hail storms, extreme temperature etc. To prevent the crop losses due  to  pest  and  diseases,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Cooperation  &  Farmers  Welfare (DAC&FW) in the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare regulates the manufacture, storage and use of pesticides through Insecticide act, 1968 and promotes the Integrated Pest Management (IPM). To promote IPM activities established Central Integrated Pest Management  Centre's (CIPMCs)  in the state of Rajastan (one each at Jaipur and Sriganganagar). Similarly, all the states including one union territory 34 CIPMCs have been established. The purpose of CIPMCs is to conduct regular pest surveillance & monitoring to assess pest/disease situation and issue advisories for timely pest management measures to prevent crop losses. The CIPMCs also promote IPM approaches with emphasis on biological control  and  also  produce  various  biocontrol  agents  and    provide  to  farmers  at  free  of  cost. Annually about 760 Farmer's Field Schools (FFS) have been conducted and about 30 farmers are  trained  in  each  FFS.  In  addition,  CIPMCs  conduct  Human  Resource  Development programmes  of  two  days  and  five  days  and  Season  Long  Training  (SLT)  programmes  on major  agricultural/horticultural  crops  throughout  the  country.  Central  Insecticides  Board  & Registration Committee (CIBRC) under Directorate of Plant Protection, Qurantine & Storage (DPPQS) has been established to ensure the availability of safer and effective pesticides by implanting regulatory provisions under Insecticide act, 1968.  IPM package of practices have been developed for 89 crops.

(b) to (d): The crop loss due to  abiotic  factors  is  not  predictable  and varies  from  crop  to crop.  Crop losses due to pests and diseases attributed about 30% loss in the potential yield of crop plants.

To prevent the post harvest losses of food grins, a number of warehouses have been established  by  Food  Corporation  of  India,  Central  Warehouse  Corporations  and  State Warehouse Corporations in different states. A number of efficient fumigants and insecticides have been registered by DPPQS-CIBRC, DAC&FW in the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to prevent the losses due to insect pests and rodents.

ICAR-Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering & Technology, Ludhiana has recently conducted a survey based study to access the post harvest losses during harvesting, collection, threshing, grading/sorting, winnowing / cleaning, drying, packaging, transportation and storage for 46 crops and commodities comprising 5 cereals, 4 pulses, 6 oilseeds, 8 fruits, 8 vegetables, 8  plantation  crops  and  spices,  6  livestock  produce  and  jaggery.  Over  eating  and  wastage  at consumer level were not parts of this study. The average post harvest losses according to this study are 4.65% - 5.99% for cereals, 6.36% - 8.41% for pulses, 3.08% - 9.96 % for oilseeds, 6.70% - 15.88% for fruits, 4.58% - 12.44% for vegetables, 4.17% - 4.91% for plantation crops, 1.18% - 6.51% for spices, 6.9 % & 2.9% for inland & marine fish, 0.8% for milk and 2.3% & 3.7 % for meat & Poultry.

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