Question : Inadequate Storage for Agricultural Produce

(a) whether the Union Government has assessed the annual wastage of agricultural produce due to non-availability of warehousing capacity, cold storages and supply chains, if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereon;

(b) whether the Government had set up a Committee on encouraging investments in supply chains including provision for cold storages for more efficient distribution of farm produce;

(c) if so, whether the aforesaid Committee has submitted its report and if so, the details of the recommendations made by the aforesaid Committee; and

(d) the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to implement the recommendations of the aforesaid Committee?

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

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(a) to (d): No such specific assessment to assess annual wastage of agriculture produce due to non-availability of warehousing capacity, cold storages and supply chains has been carried out. However, Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET) under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has conducted study on Assessment of Quantitative Harvest and Post-Harvest Losses of Major Crops and Commodities in India and report published in 2015, according to which, the harvest and post-harvest losses of major fruits ranged from 6.70 % to 15.88%; for vegetables the losses ranged from 4.58% to 12.44% for fish, meat and milk the losses were 10.52%, 2.71% and 0.92% respectively.

Contd…2/-

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Erstwhile Planning Commission had set up a Committee on “Encouraging Investments in Supply Chains Including Provision for Cold Storages for More Efficient Distribution of Farm Produce” under the the Chairmanship of Dr. Saumitra Chaudhuri, the then Member, Planning Commission, to provide recommendations for encouraging investments in supply chains including provision for cold storages for more efficient distribution of farm produce. The Committee had submitted its report in May, 2012, which emphasised on integration of logistics activities for more efficient market linkages.

The Government has taken several major steps through promoting market reforms and schemes for encouraging investments in supply chains including provision for cold storages for more efficient distribution of farm produce, which are as follows:

The Government has released Model “The Agricultural Produce & Livestock Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2017” for its adoption by States/UTs. The Model Act provides for alternative marketing channels such as setting up of private markets, direct marketing, farmer-consumer markets to facilitate farmers in marketing their produce at competitive & remunerative prices. The Model APLM Act, 2017, aims to reduce the food supply chain with provisions to integrate farmers directly with end buyers.

The Government has formulated and released a progressive and facilitative Model “The Agricultural Produce & Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2018” for its adoption by the States/Union Territories (UTs). The aforesaid Model Contract Farming Act covers the entire value and supply chain from pre-production to post harvest marketing including services contract for the agricultural produce and livestock.

The Government is promoting various schemes for development of post harvest infrastructure, warehouses/cold storages and supply chains such as through Schemes of Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sectors Rejuvination (RKVY-RAFTAAR) and also the sub-schemes of Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) & Venture Capital Assistance (VCA) of Integrated Scheme of Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) together with Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters).






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