Definition:

• Postharvest loss includes the food loss across the food supply chain from harvesting of crops until its consumption. 
• The losses can broadly be categorised as weight loss due to spoilage, quality loss, nutritional loss, seed viability loss, and commercial loss. 
• Magnitude of postharvest losses in the food supply chain vary greatly among different crops, areas, and economies.
• India’s post-harvest losses amount to approximately ₹1,52,790 crore annually, according to a Ministry of Food Processing Industries 2022 study. 
• The biggest loss is from perishable commodities, which include livestock produce such as eggs, fish and meat (22%), fruits (19%) and vegetables (18%). 

Reasons for high Post Harvest losses in India:

• Inadequate Proper Storage Facilities: Insufficient cold storage and temperature-controlled transport options result in high spoilage rates for perishable commodities like fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and dairy products.
• Inadequate Transportation Network and Infrastructure: Poor connectivity and slow transportation methods hinder the efficient movement of produce, leading to delays and spoilage.
  • About 97% of fruits and vegetables are transported by road, which is less efficient and more prone to delays and spoilage compared to rail transport.
• Multiple Handling Points: Inefficient handling and multiple transfer points during transportation, especially in rail transport, increase the chances of spoilage and damage to the product.
• Low Productivity and Quality Standards: Suboptimal farming practices and an inability to meet the quality standards required for both domestic and international markets contribute to higher losses.
• Large number of Small and Marginal Farmers (SMFs): With 86% of Indian farmers being small and marginal, they struggle to achieve economies of scale and lack assured market connectivity, leading to higher post-harvest losses.
• Insufficient Staffing and Training: Shortages of trained personnel for efficient loading, unloading, and handling of agricultural produce during transit lead to increased damage and losses.

Government Measures to reduce Post harvest losses:

• Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) by Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) provides medium and long term loan facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest market infrastructure including warehousing facility and community farming assets through interest subvention and financial support. 
• Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) is for holistic development of horticulture sector to increase the post harvest management infrastructure and reduce post-harvest losses in the country, under which financial assistance is provided for various horticulture activities including setting up of pack houses, cold storages, reefer transport, ripening chamber, primary processing etc.
• Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) a subscheme of Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) under which assistance is provided for construction of warehouses in the rural areas in the States to enhance the storage capacity for agriculture produce.
• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is implemented with the objective of reducing post-harvest losses of horticulture and non-horticulture produce and providing remunerative price to farmers for their produce. 
• Kisan Rail Scheme by the Ministry of Railways is implemented to enable the speedy movement of perishables including fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fishery and dairy products from production surplus regions to consumption or deficit regions. 
• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS), provide financial support and claims against the crop yield losses due to natural risks/ calamities, adverse weather conditions, pests and diseases etc. Both the schemes are voluntary for States and farmers. 
• Training Programmes: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR) regularly conducts training & skill development programmes for reduction of losses during storage of different commodities. 

Measures Needed for reducing Post Harvest losses:

• Investing in Adequate Storage Facilities: Develop and expand climate-controlled and cold-storage facilities to prevent spoilage, pests, and diseases. 
  • This includes both on-farm storage solutions like metal drums and hermetic bags, as well as centralised storage facilities that can be shared by multiple farmers.
  • Support farmers and traders in acquiring cooling equipment to maintain the quality of fresh produce like fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, and milk. Establishing a robust cold chain network can significantly reduce spoilage due to heat.
• Private Sector involvement: Private sector should be encouraged to involve in the creation of storage and transportation of agricultural goods.
• Improving Access to Finance: Enhance access to financial resources for small-scale farmers and cooperatives to invest in post-harvest facilities and equipment. 
• Reliable Market linkages: Linking farmers to reliable markets ensures they have a steady stream of buyers, encouraging investments in loss-reducing activities and equipment.
• Improving Harvesting Methods: Ensure crops are harvested at the right stage of maturity using suitable methods to prevent losses from premature or delayed harvesting. Training farmers on optimal harvesting techniques is crucial.
• Enhancing Handling and Transportation: Implement effective strategies for handling and transportation, including proper packing, ventilation, and labelling of produce. Investing in better transportation infrastructure and vehicles designed for carrying agricultural produce can reduce damage during transit.
• The sorting and grading stage is also one of the most key stages when the agricultural produce is being packaged and marketed. There is a need to have higher standards for post-harvest handling and grading. 
  • This helps in identifying damaged or low-quality produce, following which the produce can be sorted, which is essentially the removal of bad crops from healthy ones. The continuous check on quality control invariably helps in reducing post-harvest loss.
• Upgrading Grain Drying Equipment: Provide farmers with access to improved grain drying equipment and shelters to protect against rainfall. This will help reduce mould damage and contamination, thereby preserving grain quality and quantity.

Conclusion:

• Food security and nutritional security are everyday concerns for crores of Indian citizens and wastage of crops increases the negative effects of this situation. Measures given above can help in reducing post harvest losses.
• Concerted efforts by all the involved stakeholders is required for proper working of these measures.