By: Raja Syed Rather
Srinagar, Aug 06: The Centre on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that it has conducted assessments of post-harvest losses of cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables across different agro-climatic regions of the country, with the latest study estimating post-harvest losses of apples in Jammu & Kashmir at 9.51 per cent.
Replying to a question raised by Lok Sabha MP Jai Prakash, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan said the Ministry has commissioned studies through the ICAR-Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET) in 2015 and NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS) in 2022 to assess post-harvest losses across the country.
The minister informed the House that while the latest NABCONS study provides commodity-wise and state-wise estimates of post-harvest losses based on field surveys in major producing states, it does not include any assessment of the impact on farmers’ incomes.
According to the data placed before Parliament, Jammu & Kashmir recorded an estimated 9.51 per cent post-harvest loss in apples, 3.92 per cent in maize, 6.08 per cent in eggs, and 7.33 per cent in beans.
The minister further said the Centre is addressing post-harvest losses through schemes including the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY), Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) and the Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industries (PLISFPI).
“These initiatives support creation of cold-chain infrastructure, food processing and preservation facilities, value addition and modern supply chain infrastructure aimed at reducing post-harvest losses and improving farmers’ returns,” he said. (KNO)
