Lok Sabha Question No. 2334 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-21
Subject: Impact of India's Existing Food System
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: S. Jothimani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2334

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 21sT DECEMBER, 2022

## IMPACT OF INDIA'S EXISTING FOOD SYSTEM

2334. MS. S. JOTHIMANI:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has conducted any study on the impact of India's existing food system on the environment quality and if sO, the details thereof;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to reduce food losses during storage and transportation, along with the details of the quantity of foodgrains lost during storage and transit, since 2019 national average as well as the food losses reported in Tamil Nadu;
- (c) the number of existing steel silos in India and particularly in the State of Tamil Nadu, along with the details of silos presently in development and those planned in the future;
- (d) the steps, if any, taken by the Government to promotelsupport the setting up of small-sized storage units at the farm level; and
- (e) the details of investments made by the Government in  funding innovations to address the challenges associated with food losses and wastage?

## A NSWE R

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SADHVI NIRANJAN JyOTI)

(a): No such study has been conducted by the Department:

- (b): The steps taken by the Government to reduce foodgrains losses during storage and transit are at Annexure. The details on the storage and transit losses of foodgrains (wheat & rice) since 2019 including Tamil Nadu State are as under:

## Storage Losses:

| Year                       | Quantity Received   | % of Loss   |
|----------------------------|---------------------|-------------|
| 2019-20*                   | 868.50 -0.14        |             |
| 2020-21                    | 1312.95             | -0.13       |
|                            | 1420.63             | -0.23       |
| 2022-23 (upto 2022)** Nov, | 786.14              | -0.04       |

(Qty\_in\_LMT)

indicates Gain. ) indicates audited figures, (**) indicates provisional figures:

## Transit Losses:

| Year                         |   Quantity Moved |   % of Loss |
|------------------------------|------------------|-------------|
| 2019-20*                     |           409.64 |        0.23 |
| 2020-21                      |           618.74 |        0.24 |
| 2021-22*                     |           646.89 |        0.22 |
| 2022-23 (upto 2022) ** Nov , |           382.69 |        0.24 |

in LMT) (Qty

indicates audited figures, (**) indicates provisional figures:

- (c): As on a total 31 numbers of steel silos of 17.75 LMT capacity has been constructed in India including 2 steel silos of 0.25 LMT capacity at Coimbatore & Chennai in Tamil Nadu State. Moreover, under Hub & Spoke model; 249 numbers of steel silos with the capacity of 111.125 LMT are also proposed to be developed in phased manner. date,
- (d) & (e): For creation of Agriculture Marketing Infrastructure including scientific storage capacity, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is implementing capital subsidy "Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI)" sub-scheme of Integrated Scheme for Agriculture Marketing (ISAM) across the country: Since inception of the scheme and upto 31.11.2022, Rs. 343590.30 lakh subsidy has been released for 42,164 storage infrastructure projects, with the storage capacity of 740.43 LMT.

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED To IN REPLY To PART (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2334 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 21.12.2022 IN LOK SABHA

The details on the steps taken by the Government to control the storage and transit losses are as under:

## Storage losses:

- Storage losses are reviewed in Monthly Performance Review Meeting:
- Review of Storage Losses at HQZonelRegion/District levels.
- Implementation of revised norms for storage gainl loss in covered storage.
- Increasing covered storage capacity to reduce CAP storage
- Intensification of depot inspections showing higher storage losses:
- Periodical prophylactic and curative treatment of stocks:
- Physical measures like installation of barbed wire fencing of the boundary walls, provision of street lights for illumination of godowns and proper locking of the sheds are being reviewed regularly to secure the godowns:
- Deployment of adequate Security, CCTV etc:
- Disciplinary action against delinquents for unjustified losses, recovery against unjustified losses from agencies like CWCISWC and State Agencies.

## Transit losses:

- Transit losses are reviewed in Monthly Performance Review Meeting:
- Spreading of Polythene Sheet on the floor wagons to retrieve the spilled-over grains,
- Review of Transit Losses at HQIZone/Region/District levels.
- Joint Verification of high Transit Loss cases to fix responsibility. The lower limit of TL for Joint Verification (JV's) has been reduced from 1% to 0.75% and further 0.50% w.e.f: 01.10.2022.
- An experiment is being conducted in all Regions for 3 months We.f. 01.10.2022 by making use of high security seal to avoid tempering enroute pilferage:
- Disciplinary action against delinquents for abnormallunjustified transit losses.
- Made-up bags accords at railhead are being accounted:
- Deployment of Independent Consignment Certification Squad (ICCS) at the time of loading lunloading:

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