40% of farm products perish due to poor harvesting
Updated: Aug 08, 2013 04:29:48pm
Noida, Aug 8 (KNN) Forty per cent of farm products perish due to lack of proper post-harvesting process in India, according to experts.
Speaking at a three day workshop on post-harvest technology and cold chain management at the Amity University, Chairman of the Global Agri System Pvt Ltd, Gokul Patnaik said, “Post-harvest handling of agricultural products is essential for India as around 33 per cent of vegetables and seven-eight per cent of grains loss is registered in this stage.”
The only solution to overcome this wastage is cold chain management, he said.
More than Rs 1000 crore has been spent during the last six years to set up cold storages in the country.
India has around eight lakh tonnes of cold storage capacity, but to bridge the gap between demand and supply near about 3.72 crore tonnes of capacity is needed, he added.
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor of the Amity University Balvinder Shukla in the workshop that concluded today said, “In India there are three types of farmers-big who can afford all the technologies, small who cannot afford new technology and very small who usually till the land of big land owners. Many a time the loss happens just before harvest due to pests or lack of rains. Sometimes farmers don’t have sufficient place to store products.”
There are many post-harvest technologies which are not costly but due to lack of awareness, farmers are not using it.
Significantly, cold chain is not just about protecting and handling of a product, rather it is buying more time till it is sold. It allows farmers to go thousands of kilometres to sell products in different markets. The system includes post-harvest, packaging conditioning, making buffer stock and moving it to the market, said Chief Advisor of National Centre for Cold Chain Management, P Kohli.
South East Asia, especially India needs more cold storage and post-harvest knowledge due to three reasons-bad infrastructure, increasing population, low income level. Moreover, consumers accept food in any condition.
Speaking from a global perspective, Founder of the Post-Harvest Education Foundation in USA, Lisa Kitinoja said, “Losses of perishable foods such as fruits and vegetables can be higher during the post-harvest period, depending upon the weather, access to storage or distance from markets. Utilizing improved practices often result in reduced food losses, increased overall quality and food safety and higher profits for growers and marketers.”
The foundation provides free post-harvest training for farmers, small scale food processors and marketers. It also gives access to tools and equipment used in applied research for improving practical field operations.
Cold storage is not the complete solution because deterioration of products start right from the farms. Handling and transporting of product is important. Ideally the product should be moved to cold storage within two hours of cutting, but in India most of the farms are remotely located. (KNN/GUNJ)
Speaking at a three day workshop on post-harvest technology and cold chain management at the Amity University, Chairman of the Global Agri System Pvt Ltd, Gokul Patnaik said, “Post-harvest handling of agricultural products is essential for India as around 33 per cent of vegetables and seven-eight per cent of grains loss is registered in this stage.”
The only solution to overcome this wastage is cold chain management, he said.
More than Rs 1000 crore has been spent during the last six years to set up cold storages in the country.
India has around eight lakh tonnes of cold storage capacity, but to bridge the gap between demand and supply near about 3.72 crore tonnes of capacity is needed, he added.
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor of the Amity University Balvinder Shukla in the workshop that concluded today said, “In India there are three types of farmers-big who can afford all the technologies, small who cannot afford new technology and very small who usually till the land of big land owners. Many a time the loss happens just before harvest due to pests or lack of rains. Sometimes farmers don’t have sufficient place to store products.”
There are many post-harvest technologies which are not costly but due to lack of awareness, farmers are not using it.
Significantly, cold chain is not just about protecting and handling of a product, rather it is buying more time till it is sold. It allows farmers to go thousands of kilometres to sell products in different markets. The system includes post-harvest, packaging conditioning, making buffer stock and moving it to the market, said Chief Advisor of National Centre for Cold Chain Management, P Kohli.
South East Asia, especially India needs more cold storage and post-harvest knowledge due to three reasons-bad infrastructure, increasing population, low income level. Moreover, consumers accept food in any condition.
Speaking from a global perspective, Founder of the Post-Harvest Education Foundation in USA, Lisa Kitinoja said, “Losses of perishable foods such as fruits and vegetables can be higher during the post-harvest period, depending upon the weather, access to storage or distance from markets. Utilizing improved practices often result in reduced food losses, increased overall quality and food safety and higher profits for growers and marketers.”
The foundation provides free post-harvest training for farmers, small scale food processors and marketers. It also gives access to tools and equipment used in applied research for improving practical field operations.
Cold storage is not the complete solution because deterioration of products start right from the farms. Handling and transporting of product is important. Ideally the product should be moved to cold storage within two hours of cutting, but in India most of the farms are remotely located. (KNN/GUNJ)
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