'Wastage of food items among factors leading to inflation'

Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today said wastage of food products is one of the important factors that lead to inflation.
About 18 per cent of the country's fruits and vegetables output worth Rs 44,000 crore gets wasted every year because of lack of proper cold chain storage infrastructure.
"Wastage of food products is one of the important factors that lead to inflation," she said while addressing media here today.
"Agricultural produce worth Rs 44,000 crore, or 18 per cent, is wasted annually and the ministry is determined to convert this wastage into an asset so that farmers could reap maximum profits for their produce," she said.

She added that her ministry is identifying different food producing regions to explore the possibility of establishing mini processing plants throughout the country.
"These units will not only help in adding value to the farmer's products but also provide jobs to unskilled youth in a big way," Union Minister and MP from Bathinda said.

She said, "I have asked my officers to map out areas or pockets of agricultural products in the country for this purpose," adding that she wants to make Punjab a model state in food processing.
Earlier, during her visit to Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET) here, she expressed concerns over "substantial" post harvest losses in the country, asking CIPHET officials to collaborate with Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and the state government in popularising crop loss reduction technologies.

The CIPHET is a nodal institute to undertake researches in the areas of post-harvest engineering and technology appropriate to agricultural production catchment and agro-industries.