Lok Sabha Question No. 4978 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-23
Subject: Inadequate Storage for Agricultural Produce
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Vinayak Bhaurao Raut, Pritam Gopinath Munde, Chandra Sekhar Sahu, Girish Bhalchandra Bapat

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4978

TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 RD  JULY, 2019

## INADEQUATE STORAGE FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE

4978.   SHRI VINAYAK RAUT: DR. PRITAM GOPINATHRAO MUNDE: SHRI CHANDRA SEKHAR SAHU:

SHRI GIRISH BHALCHANDRA BAPAT:

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

- (a) whether  the  Union  Government  has  assessed  the  annual  wastage  of  agricultural produce due to non-availability of warehousing capacity, cold storages and supply chains, if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereon;
- (b) whether  the  Government  had  set  up  a  Committee  on  encouraging  investments  in supply  chains  including  provision  for  cold  storages  for  more  efficient  distribution  of  farm produce;
- (c) if so, whether the aforesaid Committee has submitted its report and if so, the details of the recommendations made by the aforesaid Committee; and
- (d) the  steps  taken  or  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to  implement  the recommendations of the aforesaid Committee?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी ( SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) to (d): No such specific assessment to assess annual wastage of agriculture produce due to non-availability of warehousing capacity, cold storages and supply chains has been carried  out.  However,  Central  Institute  of  Post  Harvest  Engineering  and  Technology (CIPHET)  under  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR) has  conducted  study  on Assessment of Quantitative Harvest and Post-Harvest Losses of Major Crops and Commodities in India and report published in 2015, according to which, the harvest and postharvest  losses  of  major  fruits  ranged  from  6.70  %  to  15.88%;  for  vegetables  the  losses ranged from 4.58% to 12.44% for fish, meat and milk the losses were 10.52%, 2.71% and 0.92% respectively.

Erstwhile Planning Commission had set up a Committee on 'Encouraging Investments in Supply Chains Including Provision for Cold Storages for More Efficient Distribution of Farm Produce' under the the Chairmanship of Dr. Saumitra Chaudhuri, the then Member, Planning Commission,  to  provide  recommendations  for  encouraging  investments  in  supply  chains including  provision  for  cold  storages  for  more  efficient  distribution  of  farm  produce.  The Committee  had  submitted  its  report  in  May,  2012,  which  emphasised  on  integration  of logistics activities for more efficient market linkages.

The  Government  has  taken  several  major  steps  through  promoting  market  reforms and  schemes  for  encouraging  investments  in  supply  chains  including  provision  for  cold storages for more efficient distribution of farm produce,  which are as follows:

The Government has released Model 'The Agricultural Produce & Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2017' for its adoption by States/UTs. The Model Act provides for  alternative  marketing  channels  such  as setting  up  of  private markets,  direct  marketing, farmer-consumer markets  to  facilitate  farmers  in  marketing  their  produce  at  competitive  & remunerative prices. The Model APLM Act, 2017, aims to reduce the food supply chain with provisions to integrate farmers directly with end buyers.

The  Government  has  formulated  and  released  a  progressive  and  facilitative  Model 'The  Agricultural  Produce  &  Livestock  Contract  Farming  and  Services  (Promotion  & Facilitation) Act, 2018' for its adoption by the States/Union Territories (UTs). The aforesaid Model Contract Farming Act covers the entire value and supply chain from pre-production to post harvest marketing including services contract for the agricultural produce and livestock.

The  Government  is  promoting  various  schemes  for  development  of  post  harvest infrastructure,  warehouses/cold  storages  and  supply  chains  such  as  through  Schemes  of Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sectors Rejuvination (RKVY-RAFTAAR) and also the sub-schemes of Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) & Venture Capital Assistance  (VCA)  of  Integrated  Scheme  of    Agricultural  Marketing  (ISAM)  together  with Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan  SAMPADA  Yojana  (Scheme  for  Agro-Marine  Processing  and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters).

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