India loses crops of Rs 50,000 cr to poor post-harvest handling

India is losing food items worth a whopping Rs 50,000 crore every year due to poor post-harvest handling of farm produce, a development that analysts say may jeopardise the Centre's plan to formulate a food security law, especially in view of a "below-normal" monsoon.

"The level of wastage of agricultural food items is estimated to be about Rs 50,000 crore (a year), occurring at various stages of handling after harvesting," Food Processing Minister Subodh Kant Sahai said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

The minister blamed "fragmented farming, provisions in the Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development & Regulation) Act, lack of cold chain facilities, transportation, proper storage and processing facilities" for the losses.

Commodity analysts apprehend that the huge crop losses can jeopardise the Centre's plan to enact a food security law, especially at a time when poor monsoon has raised concerns on lower farm production.

"The huge losses of crops (in post-harvest handling) in times of poor monsoon may affect plans to build a food security law. The government needs to take urgent steps to plug loopholes in different areas, including losses at warehouses," commodity brokerage Karvy Comptrade Research Head Aurobindo Prasad said.