Lok Sabha Question No. 1052 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-13
Subject: Logistics and Storage Systems to reduce Food Losses
Ministry: FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
Asked by: K. Muraleedharan, A. Chellakumar, Rajmohan Unnithan

## GOVERNMENTOF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1052 ANSWERED ON 13 TH  DECEMBER, 2022

## LOGISTICS AND STORAGE SYSTEMS TO REDUCE FOOD LOSSES

## 1052.  SHRI K. MURALEEDHARAN: DR. A. CHELLAKUMAR: SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN:

Will the Minister of FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of steps taken by the Government to mitigate food losses as several studies and reports  including  one  by  ICAR-CIPHET  have  attributed  it  to  bumper  crop,  damages during storage/transport and consumer food wastage;
- (b) the details of the steps taken by the Government to mitigate these losses;
- (c) whether  the  Government  is  considering  updating  logistics  and  storage  systems  using scientific methods in order to reduce food loss;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to assure and secure markets and prices so that farmers are not forced to dispose bumper crop out of distress?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

(a)  to  (d).  As  per  the  study  conducted  by  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research-  Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (ICAR-CIPHET) submitted in 2015, the harvest and post-harvest losses of major cereals ranged from 4.65% -5.99%, pulses ranged from 6.36% - 8.41%, oilseeds ranged from 3.08% - 9.96%, fruits ranged from 6.70 % to 15.88%; while for vegetables the losses ranged from 4.58% - 12.44%.

Details of steps taken by the Government to mitigate the losses are as under:

- (i) The  Ministry  of  Food  Processing  Industries  (MoFPI)  is  implementing  a  Central Sector umbrella scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) since 2016-17 for overall growth and development of the sector with the aim to augment preservation  and  processing  capacity  so  as  to  reduce  post-harvest  losses,  create employment,  and  enhancing  of  value  addition  &  exports  of  processed  food  with components, namely,(i) Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure, (ii)

Infrastructure  for  Agro-Processing  Clusters,  (iii)  Creation/  Expansion  of  Food Processing  &  Preservation  Capacities,  (iv)  Food  Safety  and  Quality  Assurance Infrastructure, (v) Human Resources and Institutions-Research & Development and (vi)  Operation  Greens.  Mega  Food  Park  and  Creation  of  Backward  and  Forward Linkages schemes, which were earlier implemented as component schemes of the PMKSY have been discontinued.

- (ii) Food Corporation of India (FCI) implements the following schemes for modernization or upgradation of storage systems for food grains:
- 1)  Construction of Silos under PPP mode
- 2)  Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme
- 3) FCI aims at positioning bulk logistic operations through specialized wagons/containers between silos, which can reduce losses of food grains during transportation in comparison to conventional rake movement by avoiding multiple handling in bagged consignments.
- (iii) ICAR  through  its  research  activities  develops  post-harvest  machinery,  storage structures and protocols, high value/value added products and conducts trainings for farmers  and  other  stakeholders  for  reducing  post-harvest  losses  of  crops  and commodities
- (e) . The following measures are in place to support farmers/ growers from selling crops out of distress:
- (i). Under the Operation Greens scheme of PMKSY, there is provision for short term support of 50% subsidy on cost of transportation and storage for fruits & vegetables for  evacuation  of  surplus  production  from  production  centres  during  the  glut situation. This will help farmers/growers of eligible crops from making distress sale.
- (ii). Department  of  Agriculture  and  Farmers  Welfare  is  implementing  the  Marketing Research and Information Network, sub scheme of Integrated Scheme  for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM), since 2000 to link important Agricultural Produce Markets spread all over the country and the State Agriculture Marketing Boards and Directorates spread over the country and collect, collate and disseminate the mandi prices & arrival data.
- (iii). Through e-procurement module deployed by procuring agencies, farmers get latest/ updated  information  regarding  Minimum  Support  Price  (MSP)  declared,  nearest purchase center, date of procurement etc. This reduces the waiting period for delivery of  stock  by  the  farmers  and  enables  the  farmer  to  deliver  stock  as  per  his/her convenience in the nearest mandi.
- (iv). Various procurement portals developed by procuring agencies have now been unified into  Central  Food  Grain  Procurement  Portal  (CFPP)  to  share  identified  MTP (Minimum  Threshold  Parameters)  towards  development  of  an  application  ecosystem, wherein requisite information in respect of procurement is available at single source for monitoring and strategic decision making and to ensure uniformity and transparency.