Lok Sabha Question No. 303 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-07-19
Subject: Setting up of Ripening Chambers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 303

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 19 TH   JULY, 2016

## SETTING UP OF RIPENING CHAMBERS

303.   SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that 25-30 per cent of fruits and vegetables go waste in transit before reaching the consumers from the field of farmers in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  promote  ripening  chambers  to  avoid  the wastage and have quality products, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the  details  of  the  financial  assistance  provided  by  the  Government  for  setting  up  of ripening chambers in various States of the country; and
- (e) the details of the steps taken by the Government to provide sufficient information and training to farmers in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI  SUDARSHAN BHAGAT)

- (a) & (b): A  study  was  commissioned  by  Ministry  of  Food  Processing  Industries  and carried out by Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering & Technology (CIPHET), Indian Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR).  The  report  of  the  study  published  in  2015, estimated  that  quantum  of  quantitative  harvest  and  post  harvest  losses  of  agricultural produce were in the range of 4.65% to 5.99% (cereals), 6.36% to 8.41% (pulses), 3.08% to 9.96%  (oil  seeds),  6.70%  to  15.88%  (fruits),  4.58%  to  12.44%  (vegetables),  5.23%  to 10.52% (fish), 2.71% (meat) and 0.92% (milk). The post-harvest losses are on account of harvesting  operations,  collection,  sorting,  grading,  transportation,  storage  and  inadequate market infrastructure facilities.
- (c) & (d): Department  of  Agriculture,  Cooperation  and  Farmers  Welfare  (DAC&FW)  is implementing  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture  (MIDH)  for  holistic development of horticulture in the country including creation of post harvest management infrastructure to reduce losses of perishable horticulture produce. Post harvest management component includes establishment of setting up of pack house, pre-cooling, primary processing, cold chain, refrigerated transport, ripening chambers etc.

These components are demand & entrepreneur driven for which credit linked back ended subsidy is available through respective State Horticulture Missions. An entrepreneur can  avail  assistance  for  establishment  of  ripening  chamber  @  35%  of  admissible  project cost in general areas and @ 50% in hilly and schedule area as credit linked and back ended subsidy.  The  admissible  cost  for  ripening  chamber  is  Rs.  1.00  lakh  per  MT  limited  to maximum  of  300  MT  capacity.  State wise assistance sanctioned under MIDH  for establishment of ripening chambers is annexed.

(e): Capacity building of field staff and farmers is one of the major components of MIDH. State Horticulture Missions are organizing regular training programmes and workshops on Post-harvest  Management  (PHM)  including  ripening  chambers  for  the  benefit  of  farmers and  entrepreneurs.  Further,  National  Centre  for  Cold-chain  Development  (NCCD),  an autonomous organization under Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare is holding workshops and training programmes in various parts of the country for ripening chamber operators and farmers for awareness and technical   information for establishment and running of ripening chambers.

Annexure State wise financial assistance sanctioned for establishment of  ripening  chambers  under  MIDH  (NHM  &  NHB)  till  March 2016

## (Rs. In Lakh)

| State            |   No. of Projects |   Assistance sanctioned |
|------------------|-------------------|-------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh   |                45 |                  695.16 |
| Assam            |                 1 |                   25.6  |
| Chhattisgarh     |                 1 |                   19.36 |
| Goa              |                 2 |                   31    |
| Gujarat          |                52 |                 1344.69 |
| Haryana          |                11 |                  542.32 |
| Himachal Pradesh |                 2 |                   31.22 |
| Jammu & Kashmir  |                 2 |                   47.11 |
| Jharkhand        |                 1 |                   12.5  |
| Karnataka        |                40 |                  457.83 |
| Madhya Pradesh   |                 5 |                  171.06 |
| Maharashtra      |                73 |                 1628.62 |
| Orissa           |                 4 |                   62    |
| Punjab           |                17 |                  669.12 |
| Rajasthan        |                25 |                  643.07 |
| Tamil Nadu       |                14 |                  340.27 |
| Telangana        |                20 |                  496.88 |
| Uttar Pradesh    |                34 |                 1008.77 |
| Uttarakhand      |                 1 |                   24    |
| West Bengal      |                 1 |                   30    |
| Total            |               351 |                 8280.58 |

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