Lok Sabha Question No. 1182 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-28
Subject: Post Harvest Management
Ministry: AGRICULTURE
Asked by: SHOBHA KARANDLAJE

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & COOPERATION

**LOK  SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1182**

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  28 TH JULY, 2015

**POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT**

1182.      KUMARI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE 	     कृषि मंत्री

be pleased  to state:

(a) 	whether it is a fact that an estimated 3.9-6% losses in foodgrains can be saved by adopting appropriate post harvest management practices such as harvesting, threshing, grading/sorting, winnowing/ cleaning, drying, packaging, transportation and storage;

(b) 	if so, the details thereof; and

(c) 	the steps taken by the Government towards improving the post-harvest management practices?

### ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

कृषि मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री  (SHRI MOHANBHAI KUNDARIA)

(a) & (b):	The Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in its Report of 2012 on “Assessment of harvest and post harvest losses of major crops and commodities in India” has estimated that the overall losses in food grains range between 3.9-6.0 % occurring at different stages of post harvest operations such as   harvesting, threshing, grading/sorting, winnowing/cleaning, drying, packaging, transportation and storage, depending upon the commodity. These losses can be avoided to a great extent by adopting the appropriate post-harvest technology coupled with good pre and post-harvest management practices.

(c):      The Government has taken several steps for improving the post-harvest management practices viz.  (i)   Creation of various types of marketing infrastructure projects like cleaning, grading, standardization, quality certification, warehouses,  agribusiness   etc  to  reduce post-harvest losses at various stages of marketing functions.  Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC)  provides financial assistance  though Schemes like   Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) and Venture Capital Assistance  sub-scheme of Integrated  Scheme  for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) and  Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.    National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) through its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) and Warehousing Infrastructure Fund (WIF)  provides loan at cheaper rate for development of storage facility and other necessary marketing infrastructures.  (ii)   Government advocates reforms in agricultural marketing sector so that private sector is encouraged to invest in post-harvest infrastructure nearer to farmers field.  (iii)  The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State Agricultural Universities have also developed a number of post-harvest equipment and technologies which help in checking post-harvest losses and they also organise relevant trainings.  (iv) Government through National Institutes of Agricultural Marketing(NIAM), Jaipur and Krishi Vigyan Kendras spread across the country also impart training to stakeholders on skill development  and  adoption of  better post-harvest management practices.

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