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Authors
Affiliations
1 Centre for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, IN
2 ICAR-National Research Centre on Pomegranate, Solapur (M.S.), IN
Source
Rashtriya Krishi (English), Vol 14, No 1 (2019), Pagination: 75-76
Abstract
India accounts for about 450 million tonnes of production of raw food materials. These animal and plantbased food materials pass through various stages of production like refining, storage and finally obtaining the end usable product using conventional and modern postharvest and food processing technology. The total food grains production was estimated 275.68 MT, in which 44.19 MT of cereals , 2 2.9 5 MT of pulses, 32.10 of oilseeds and 33.09 million bales of cotton in the year 2016-17 (as per Ministry of Agriculture). Harvesting, post-harvest activities, handling and storage report losses of 3.9 - 6 per cent in cereals, 4.3- 6.1 per cent in pulses, 2.8- 10.1 per cent in oilseeds, 5.8- 18.1 per cent in fruits, and 6.9-13 per cent in vegetables. Harvest and post-harvest loss of India’s major agricultural products are estimated at Rs. 92,651 crore. Post-harvest losses in India stem from a range of factors including lack of post-harvest infrastructure, limited technical knowledge on good agricultural practices and inadequate market access. According to the Global Hunger Index-2017, India ranks 100 among 119 countries with the highest food insecurity. If the high volume of losses is reduced, then the country can significantly address the issue of food insecurity.
