(a) whether a large quantum of food products is being damaged or lost due to poor packaging in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the damages estimated during the last three years, State/UT and food item-wise; and
(c) the corrective steps being taken in this regard in coordination with the farmers and the State Governments?
(a) : As informed by Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) an autonomous body under the administrative control of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, there is no published data available which indicates the quantity of fresh produce damaged or lost in India due to poor packaging only.
(b) : The Government has got a study done on “Assessment of Quantitative Harvest and Post- Harvest Losses of Major Crops and Commodities in India” by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) - Central Institute of Post- Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), Ludhiana. The study was commissioned in 2012 and the final report submitted on 31-03-2015. The study has estimated that annual value of harvest and post-harvest losses of major agricultural produces at national level was of the order of ? 92,651 crore calculated using production data of 2012-13 at 2014 wholesale prices.
(c) : It has been the endeavour of the Government to promote food processing industries in the country to reduce wastage of agricultural produce and minimise post-harvest losses. With the above in view, Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is implementing various Central Sector Schemes, viz., (i) Mega Food Parks (ii) Integrated Cold Chain & Value Addition Infrastructure (iii) Setting up/Modernisation of Abattoirs and (iv) Quality Assurance including Setting up /Upgradation of Food Testing Laboratories.