Summary
(07.10.2013)
Around
1.3 billion tons, amounting to one third of total food produced in world gets
wasted. This is serious waste considering that almost 1 billion people in world
go hungry. [1]
In
India, the value of annual wastage of fruits and vegetables is estimated at Rs
13,309 crore. However, if the wastage value of rice, wheat, cereals and others
are taken into account, it would go up to Rs 44,000 crore a year. India produces
around 250 million tons of food grains in a year, but its annual consumption
remains far lower at 220 million to 225 million ton. Thus almost 25 million ton
of food grains is lost even as 250 million Indians are hungry. [2]
FCI has storage capacity of around 34 million tons[3],
whereas storage capacity required is around 46 million tons. [4].
Thus there is a gap of 12-15 million tons. Equally almost one third of fruits
and vegetables get wasted due to lack of cold storage capacity. [5]
Creating
storage capacity for 10,000 tons of food grains would cost around Rs. 7 crore,
inclusive of land etc.[6]
The cost of setting up 6000 tons of cold
storage is around Rs. 5 crores. Studies indicate that annual operational
expenditure for cold storage would amount to around 20% of capital expenditure.[7] [8]
Public Private Partnership
Government
has already begun Private Entrepreneur Guarantee (PEG) scheme which seeks to
augment storage capacity through private entrepreneurs. A capacity of about 197 lakh MTs as on 28.02.2013 has been approved
for the construction of godowns in 19 States, out of which a capacity of around
140 lakh MTs has been sanctioned for construction. Capacity of
around 46 lakh tons has been completed. The PEG scheme guarantees hiring godowns
for 10 years.[9]
NABARD
and government are also subsidizing building cold storage. Of Indias around 300
lakh MT cold storage capacity, nearly 140 lakh MT has been created between 2000
2011 on account of interventions by National Horticulture Board (NHB),
National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Horticulture Mission on North East and
Himalayan States (HMNEH), Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development and Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI)
and Department of Animal Husbandry and fisheries (DAHD).[10]
There is also a need for self regulation on part of citizens
to avoid food wastage at social functions.