From advances in production, distribution and storage, to using technology to feed the needy, we look at some problems and work-arounds to resolve India’s food wastage problem
India is growing more food but also wasting up to 67 million tonnes of it every year, says a study by Ciphet, the farm ministry’s harvest-research body. Supply chain bottlenecks, poor handling and storage facilities have led to high rates of spoilage. The value of food lost – Rs 92,000 crore – is two-thirds of what it costs the government to support 600 million Indians with subsidized rat
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Gluts, pests, rodents, weather and lack of modern storage are the other reasons for wastage. FCI godowns across the country are notorious for poor storage facilities that have led to losses amounting to crores. Adani has shown the step forward by setting up modern, thermostat-controlled grain storage silos that are equipped with technology to check and prevent pests and mould. The units i
Image by Courtesy Adani
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Since growing food takes up natural resources, food waste translates to a waste of natural resources as well. Rice cultivation, for example, needs large quantities of water. According to FAO report, it is estimated that more than 230 cubic kilometers of fresh water, enough to provide drinking water to 10 crore people a year, goes into producing food items that are ultimately wasted in Ind
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Globally, one-third of the food produced for human consumption is wasted, costing the world economy about $750 billion (more than Rs 47 lakh crore), according to data from the FAO. 28 percent of the world’s agricultural area is used annually to produce food that is lost or wasted. Surprisingly, industrialised and developing countries lay waste roughly the same quantities of food respectiv
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High taxation on packaged food deters self-help groups in small towns and rural areas from setting up packaged food units. Reducing it will encourage ancillary and cottage industries like pickle manufacturing units to use vegetables when the market price drop down to very low levels.
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