Lok Sabha Question No. 839 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-04
Subject: Post Harvest Losses
Ministry: FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
Asked by: Shri Eatala Rajender, Shri Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy

## GOVERNMENTOF INDIA MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 839

ANSWERED ON 04 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## POST HARVEST LOSSES

## 839.      SHRI CHAMALA KIRAN KUMAR REDDY: SHRI EATALA RAJENDER:

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

- (a) whether it is a fact that post harvest losses in the country are estimated to cost nearly Rs. 1.5 trillion annually-amounting to about 3.7% of the agricultural GDP- and that fruits and vegetables are the most vulnerable commodities, suffering losses to the extent of 10%-15%, and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is also a fact that even staple crops such as paddy and wheat incur significant post-harvest  wastage,  estimated at  around  4.8%  and  4.2%  respectively,  resulting  in  loss  of nutrition as well as wastage of water, energy and labour, and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government is aware that, in the context of the worsening climate crisis and India's large agricultural output, such percentage losses translate into millions of tonnes of food being wasted annually, adversely impacting farmers' incomes, national food availability and environmental sustainability, and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether  food  loss  varies  across  crops,  value  chains  and  regions,  and  whether  the Government  proposes  to  identify  the  regions  with  high  post-harvest  losses,  quantify  the associated  greenhouse  gas  emissions  and  undertake  targeted  interventions  to  address  such inefficiencies and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) and (b): As per studies conducted by Indian Council for Agricultural Research - Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering & Technology (ICAR-CIPHET), 2015 and NABARD Consultancy Service Pvt. Ltd (NABCONS), 2022, the estimated percentage of Harvest and Post-Harvest loss of various agricultural produce in India and category wise losses in monetary terms are as follows:

| Crops/ Commodities        | Estimated Percentage Loss        | Estimated Percentage Loss   |                                      |
|---------------------------|----------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|                           | As per ICAR- CIPHET study (2015) | As perNABCONS study (2022)  | Monetary loss NABCONS (in Rs. Crore) |
| Cereals                   | 4.65 - 5.99                      | 3.89-5.92                   | 26000.79                             |
| Pulses                    | 6.36 - 8.41                      | 5.65-6.74                   | 9289.21                              |
| Oil Seeds                 | 3.08 - 9.96                      | 2.87-7.51                   | 10924.97                             |
| Fruits                    | 6.70-15.88                       | 6.02-15.05                  | 29545.07                             |
| Vegetables                | 4.58-12.44                       | 4.87-11.61                  | 27459.08                             |
| Plantation Crops & Spices | 1.18-7.89                        | 1.29-7.33                   | 16412.56                             |

| Milk                  | 0.92                  | 0.87                  |   29871.41 |
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|------------|
| Fisheries (Inland)    | 5.23 4.86             | 0.87                  |   29871.4  |
| Fisheries (Marine)    | 10.52 8.76            | 0.87                  |   29871.4  |
| Meat                  | 2.71 2.34             | 0.87                  |   29871.4  |
| Poultry               | 6.74 5.63             | 0.87                  |   29871.4  |
| Egg                   | 7.19 6.03             |                       |    3287.32 |
| Total monetary losses | Total monetary losses | Total monetary losses |  152790    |

(c): The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has not conducted any specific study to assess the relation of climate crisis on post-harvest losses/ wastage of agricultural produce in India.

(d): As per the study stated above, the post-harvest losses vary across crops, value chains and regions. The study also helped to identify the regions with high post-harvest losses. The Ministry  of  Food  Processing  Industries  (MoFPI)  has  not  conducted  any  specific  study  to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions associated with post-harvest losses.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) through implementation of various initiatives  and  schemes  viz.  Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan  SAMPADA  Yojana  (PMKSY),  Prime Minister  Formalization  of  Micro  Food  Processing  Enterprises  (PMFME)  and  Production Linked  Incentive  Scheme  for  Food  Processing  Industries  (PLISFPI)  aims  for  the  overall development  of  food  processing  sector.  Under  various  components  of  the  aforementioned schemes, the MoFPI provides financial assistance for creation of modern infrastructure with efficient supply chain management from farm gate to retail outlets. The infrastructure created and assistance provided aims at providing better returns to farmers, creation of employment opportunities, reducing wastage, increasing the processing level and enhancing the export of the processed foods.

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