Foodgrains Wastage Put At 2% Of Output

An estimated two per cent of the total foodgrains production in the country was wasted in the last few years due to non-utilisation of necessary post-harvest techniques by producers, agriculture ministry sources said.

The estimate was arrived at by one of the working groups set up for the formulation of ninth five year plan. With a view to minimising losses during the post-harvest operation, research programmes have been initiated by the agriculture and other ministries, they said. These include improved techniques of foodgrains, storage, pest control and their extension and development of designs of improved storage structures.

Testing and standardisation of grain quality, technology transfer through training, extension and publicity are among the other measures taken to minimise wastage of foodgrain production, they said. The government is also implementing a regular plan scheme christened `Save Grain Campaign since 1969-70 to educate, motivate and persuade the farmers and others to adopt the scientific measures for minimising foodgrain losses, they added.

On the decline in share of agriculture in the total gross domestic product, sources said it was on account of relative higher growth in other sectors of the economy.

The Centre is implementing various crop specific and sector specific schemes, besides providing market and price support and credit at affordable rates, they said.

As per quick estimates of national accounts, released by the Central Statistical Organisation, the contribution of agriculture and allied sectors during 1995-96 was about 27 per cent of the total GDP.

The unspent balance with the state government out of the funds released under various central/centrally sponsored schemes of department of agriculture and cooperation stood at around Rs 458 crore as on April 1, 1996.