Lok Sabha Question No. 2607 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-19
Subject: Lack of Food Processing facilities
Ministry: FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
Asked by: Chandra Sekhar Bellana

## GOVERNMENTOF INDIA MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2607

ANSWER ON 19 TH  DECEMBER,2023

## LACK OF FOOD PROCESSING FACILITIES

## 2607.  SHRI CHANDRA SEKHAR BELLANA:

Will the Minister of FOOD PROCESSING INDUST RIES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is taking measures to reduce the huge post-harvest losses in the horticulture sector, as noted by the report titled Estimation Loss of Horticulture Produce due to Non-availability of Post-harvest & Food Processing Facilities in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh released by NITI Aayog;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES (KM. SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

- (a) to  (c):  The  Ministry  of  Food  Processing  Industries  (MoFPI),  Government  of  India, estimates harvest and post-harvest losses from time to time for various agri-produces in the country through  commissioning  of  studies  based  on  primary  surveys.  The  following  two  studies  were conducted by the Ministry:
- (i) Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) -Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering & Technology (CIPHET), Ludhiana on 'Assessment of Quantitative Harvest and Post-Harvest Losses of Major Crops and Commodities in India', 2015; and
- (ii) NABARD Consultancy Service Pvt. Ltd (NABCONS) on 'Study to Determine Post-Harvest Losses of Agri Produces in India', 2022.

The estimated percentage of harvest and post-harvest losses of horticulture produces is as follows:

|                           | Estimated Percentage Loss       | Estimated Percentage Loss   |
|---------------------------|---------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| Commodities               | As per ICAR-CIPHET study (2015) | As per NABCONS study (2022) |
| Fruits                    | 6.70-15.88                      | 6.02-15.05                  |
| Vegetables                | 4.58-12.44                      | 4.87-11.61                  |
| Plantation Crops & Spices | 1.18-7.89                       | 1.29-7.33                   |

State-wise data is not compiled in the Study because based on specific States estimates, Study was carried out for specific crops.

MoFPI  implements  Central  Sector  Umbrella  Scheme-Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan  Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) to create post-harvest infrastructure and processing facilities to boost the overall development of the food processing sector including reduction in post-harvest losses, enhancing value  addition  etc.  The  component  schemes  under  PMKSY  are    (i)  Mega  Food  Parks,  (ii) Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure, (iii) Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters,  (iv)  Creation  of  Backward  and  Forward  Linkages,  (v)  Creation  /  Expansion  of  Food Processing & Preservation Capacities and (vi) Operation Greens MoFPI provides mostly credit linked financial assistance (capital subsidy) in the form of grants-in-aid to entrepreneurs for setting up of food processing/preservation infrastructure, which may include cold storages to minimize post-harvest losses. So far, total  number of projects sanctioned under PMKSY in the States of Bihar  and  Uttar  Pradesh  are  16  and  95  respectively.  Also,  under  Production  Linked  Incentive Scheme of MoFPI total number of projects sanctioned in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are 8 and 19.

MoFPI  also  implements  Pradhan  Mantri  Formalisation  of  Micro  Food  Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME) for providing technical, financial and business support for setting up/upgradation of 2 lakh Micro food processing enterprises and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the period 2021-22 to 2026-27 to create global food champions and improving the visibility of Indian food brands abroad.

*****