Lok Sabha Question No. 1773 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-05
Subject: Post-Harvest Losses
Ministry: FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
Asked by: Shri Vamsi Krishna Gaddam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1773

ANSWERED ON 05 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## POST-HARVEST LOSSES

## 1773. SHRI VAMSI KRISHNA GADDAM :

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

- (a) whether  it  is  a  fact  that  India  loses  an  estimated  5-10%  of  perishable  food  during transportation and if so, the steps taken/being taken to improve logistics to reduce this loss; and
- (b) the details of the total monetary loss due to post-harvest losses including crop-specific data for cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables during 2018-23?

## ANSWER

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

- (a).  The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) had commissioned a study through NABARD Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd. (NABCONS), namely, 'Study to determine Post harvest losses of Agri Produce in India' in 2022 with reference year 2020-22. The details of estimated loss of perishable food during transportation reported  in the study are as under:

|              | Estimated Loss (%)   | Estimated Loss (%)   |
|--------------|----------------------|----------------------|
| Category     | At Farm level        | At Market level      |
| Fruits       | 0.27-1.41            | 0.50-1.30            |
| Vegetables   | 0.11-0.85            | 0.12-1.57            |
| Milk         | 0.21                 | 0.12                 |
| Egg          | 0.30                 | 0.39                 |
| Meat         | -                    | 0.02                 |
| Poultry meat | -                    | 0.02                 |
| Inland fish  | 0.14                 | 0.14                 |
| Marine fish  | 0.42                 | 0.52                 |

MoFPI implements Central Sector Umbrella Scheme-Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) since  2016-17  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 (the component has been discontinued with effect from 01.04.2021 with provision for committed liabilities only) (ii) Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure, (iii) Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters, (iv) Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages (The component has been discontinued from 1st April 2021) (v) Creation /  Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities and (vi) Operation Greens. MoFPI provides credit linked financial assistance (capital subsidy) in the form of grants-in-aid to entrepreneurs for setting up of food processing/preservation infrastructure which, interalia, includes cold storages to minimize postharvest losses. As on 31 st October, 2024, 1187 projects have been approved under PMKSY.

Apart  from  MoFPI,  Ministry  of  Agriculture  and  Farmers  Welfare  has  also  launched  the  Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) Scheme in July 2020 under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package in order to improve post-harvest infrastructure and create community farming assets. The AIF Scheme facilitates sanction of medium to long term loans by  Banks and other lending institutions  for  the  setting  up  of  cold  storage facilities, warehouses and processing units, aimed at reducing crop wastage and enhancing value addition.

- (b).    As  per  the  above  said  study  conducted  by  NABCONS  in  2022  with  reference  year  2020-22,  the estimated monetary post-harvest loss for various commodities are as below:

| Category          |   Estimated monetary loss (Rs. in crore) |
|-------------------|------------------------------------------|
| Cereals           |                                 26000.8  |
| Pulses            |                                  9289.21 |
| Oilseeds          |                                 10925    |
| Fruits            |                                 29545.1  |
| Vegetables        |                                 27459.1  |
| Plantation crops  |                                 16412.6  |
| Livestock produce |                                 29871.4  |
| Eggs              |                                  3287.32 |

Crop-specific data for cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables are at Annexure .

*****

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1773 FOR ANSWER ON 5 th  DECEMBER, 2024 ON 'POST-HARVEST LOSSES'

| Commodities                  | Crops       |   Estimated Post-harvest monetary loss (Rs. in Crore) |
|------------------------------|-------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Cereals, Pulses and Oilseeds | Paddy       |                                              12296.7  |
|                              | Wheat       |                                               9883.45 |
|                              | Maize       |                                               2256.16 |
|                              | Bajra       |                                                864.37 |
|                              | Sorghum     |                                                700.14 |
|                              | Pigeon Pea  |                                               2067.07 |
|                              | Chick pea   |                                               4985.45 |
|                              | Black gram  |                                                866.5  |
|                              | Green gram  |                                               1370.19 |
|                              | Mustard     |                                               2541.38 |
|                              | Cottonseed  |                                                289.29 |
|                              | Soybean     |                                               4736.14 |
|                              | Safflower   |                                                  4.61 |
|                              | Sunflower   |                                                 46.99 |
|                              | Groundnut   |                                               3306.56 |
| Fruits &Vegetables           | Apple       |                                               1941.53 |
|                              | Banana      |                                               5777.01 |
|                              | Citrus      |                                               4347.13 |
|                              | Grapes      |                                               1562.08 |
|                              | Guava       |                                               2217.05 |
|                              | Mango       |                                              10581.9  |
|                              | Papaya      |                                                786.1  |
|                              | Sapota      |                                                263.13 |
|                              | Pineapple   |                                                303.74 |
|                              | Pomegranate |                                               1533.08 |
|                              | Muskmelon   |                                                232.3  |
|                              | Cabbage     |                                               1230.05 |
|                              | Cauliflower |                                               1696.87 |
|                              | Green Pea   |                                               2288.3  |
|                              | Mushroom    |                                                221.9  |
|                              | Onion       |                                               5156.32 |
|                              | Potato      |                                               5733.84 |
|                              | Tomato      |                                               5921.15 |
|                              | Tapioca     |                                                642.5  |
|                              | Bottlegourd |                                                338.67 |
|                              | Brinjal     |                                               1989.5  |
|                              | Beans       |                                                758.95 |
|                              | Radish      |                                                252.13 |
|                              | Capsicum    |                                                105.13 |
|                              | Okra        |                                               1123.77 |