Question : Percentage of Food Wastage

(a) the details of the percentage of agriculture food products in the country that got wasted during the last three years, product-wise;

(b) the reduction in wastage percentage of agriculture products achieved with the help of Government schemes and programmes in the country during the above period;

(c) whether the Government proposes to take a new initiative to identify areas where the waste percentage of these products is high because of poor infrastructure for food processing in order to resolve the aforesaid issues; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
(SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a): As per study, “Assessment of Quantitative Harvest and Post-Harvest Losses of Major Crops and Commodities in India” carried out by Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), Ludhiana in 2015, the estimated cumulative percentages of annual harvest and post-harvest losses of major agricultural produces are as follows:

Agricultural Produces Cumulative Percentage of Losses
Cereals 4.65 - 5.99
Pulses 6.36 - 8.41
Oil seeds 3.08 - 9.96
Fruits & Vegetables 4.58 - 15.88
Milk 0.92
Fisheries (Inland) 5.23
Fisheries (Marine) 10.52
Meat 2.71
Poultry 6.74

(b) to (d): The shortage of efficient harvest and post-harvest infrastructure coupled with lack of adequate food processing industries/units are the major identified problem areas for wastage of agricultural produces in the country. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is seized of these problems and has been implementing various Central Sector Schemes for overall development of food processing sector in the country including reducing of wastage. MoFPI is now implementing the Central Sector Scheme of PRDHAN MANTRI KISAN SAMPADA YOJANA (PMKSY) with an allocation of Rs. 6,000 crore for period 2016-20 co-terminus with the 14th Finance Commission cycle. PMKSY has seven component schemes viz; (i) Mega Food Parks, (ii) Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure, (iii) Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Clusters, (iv) Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages, (v) Creation/Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities, (vi) Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure and (vii) Human Resources and Institutions. The PMKSY is designed to create robust modern infrastructure along the entire value chain in food processing with a view to, inter alia, reduce wastage and improve the supply position of quality food products to various locations. The individuals, Farmer Producer Organizations, entrepreneurs, cooperatives, Self Help Groups, Private Companies and State PSUs etc. are eligible to avail financial assistance in the form of grants-in-aid under these schemes for setting up food processing projects in the country. Also, MoFPI is implementing a new Central Sector Scheme “Operation Greens” for integrated development of Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP) crops value chain, with an outlay of Rs.500 crore to promote Farmers Producers Organizations, agri-logistics, processing facilities and professional management of FPOs in addition to short term price stabilisation component to prevent crashing of prices of the TOP crops during the time of glut.

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