Reducing Agricultural Yield and Food losses in India using Cold Stores – A Review

Abstract

India produces 250 million tons of food every year; 65 per cent of the population is engaged in agriculture. About 18 per cent of the country’s fruits and vegetables, worth INR 133 billion, go to waste annually because of the lack of cold storage facilities.  India is an agrarian economy and agriculture contributes approximately 14 per cent of the country’s GDP. The country is a leading producer of milk and the world’s second-largest producer of fruit and vegetables, while also producing a significant amount of meat and poultry. The Government of India spends INR 750 billion a year, about 1 per cent of GDP in 2011, on the food distribution system. Despite high production and an existing distribution network, India finds it difficult to feed its own people. This is due to considerable wastage. According to the Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), Ludhiana, approximately 18 per cent of the country’s fruits and vegetables, worth INR 133 billion, go to waste annually because of the lack of cold storage facilities. India wastes more fruit and vegetables than any other food product in India, mostly due to inadequate cold storages and unproductive handling.