Lok Sabha Question No. 2342 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-13
Subject: Agenda to Reduce Food Wastage
Ministry: FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
Asked by: Shri Jugal Kishore, Shri Biplab Kumar Deb, Shri Dharambir Singh, Shri Alok Sharma, Shri Gajendra  Singh Patel, Dr. Rajesh Mishra, Shri Anurag Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2342

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13 TH  MARCH, 2025

## AGENDA TO REDUCE FOOD WASTAGE

## †2342. SHRI ALOK SHARMA:

DR. RAJESH MISHRA:

SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH PATEL:

SHRI ANURAG SHARMA:

SHRI DHARAMBIR SINGH:

SHRI JUGAL KISHORE:

SHRI BIPLAB KUMAR DEB:

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

- (a) whether the Ministry's 100-day agenda includes specific measures to reduce food wastage in the supply chain, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has recently conducted any assessment of the post-harvest losses across the country including Bhiwani and Mahendragarh in Haryana if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government is collaborating with any international organizations or foreign investors to improve food processing and cold storage infrastructure and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the details of the assessment of post-harvest losses in the Sidhi Parliamentary Constituency and whether there is adequate storage infrastructure in the said constituency;
- (e) if so, the details thereof including any proposed or ongoing projects in Bhiwani- Mahendrargarh; and
- (f) if not, the reasons therefor and the efforts being made in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

(a): In order to promote food processing sector, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is already incentivizing setting up/expansion of related infrastructure through its Central Sector Scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) and Centrally Sponsored PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME)  Scheme.  Implementation  of  these  schemes  not  only  helps  in  creating  processing  and preservation infrastructure but also reduce the food wastage in the supply chain. These schemes are not region or state specific but demand driven.

(b): The Ministry estimates post-harvest losses from time to time for various agri-produces in the country through commissioning of studies based on primary surveys. Ministry had conducted 'Study to determine Post-Harvest  Losses  of  Agri  Produces  in  India'  through  NABARD  Consultancy  Service  Pvt.  Ltd (NABCONS) in the year 2022. The study was conducted to provide estimates of post-harvest losses for selected  54  crops/commodities at the national level.  As per the study  report, the details  of  the  losses estimated in Bhiwani and Mahendragarh district of Haryana are as below:

| Crops/Commodities   | Estimated Loss(%)   | Estimated Loss(%)   |
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
|                     |                     | BhiwaniMahendergarh |
| Bajra               | 3.74                | 3.75                |
| Cottonseed          | 2.14                | 2.28                |
| Chickpea            | 6.98                | -                   |
| Rapeseed/ Mustard   | 4.97                | -                   |

(c) to (f): The schemes of the Ministry are demand driven in nature and applications are invited through Expression of Interest (EoI) from all over India. The Ministry does not establish food-processing units on its own, including cold storage infrastructure. Further, Ministry does not support standalone cold storages.

The  Government  of  India  actively  promotes  foreign  investment  in  food  processing  sector  by encouraging 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) subject to sectoral regulations and 100% Foreign Direct  Investment,  under  Government  approval  route,  for  trading  including  through  e-commerce,  in respect of food products manufactured or produced in India.

As per the report  of  the  'Study  to  determine  Post-Harvest  Losses  of  Agri  Produces  in  India' commissioned by MoFPI, the scope of the study was to assess post-harvest losses with respect to 54 crops/commodities across all 15 agro-climatic zones of India. All major producing districts of identified crops  were  covered  under  the  study.  Accordingly,  no  crop  was  selected  in  Sidhi  district  of  Madhya Pradesh.

Under PMFME scheme, in Bhiwani, 48 loans have been sanctioned under credit Linked Subsidy with loan sanctioned amount of ₹4.42 crore and in Mahendragarh, 18 loans have been sanctioned under credit Linked Subsidy with loan sanctioned amount of ₹ 3.13 crore.

Under  Creation  /  Expansion  of  Food  Processing  &  Preservation  Capacities  (CEFPPC),  a component  scheme  of  PMKSY,  a  project  namely  RCOM  Oils  and  Solvex  Private  Limited  has  been approved in Bhiwani, with total project cost of ₹20.71 crore and grants in aid of ₹5.00 crore. Project is operational and grants in aid of ₹5.00 crore has been released.

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