India’s post-harvest losses amount to approximately ₹1,52,790 crore annually, according to a Ministry of Food Processing Industries 2022 study.
As India’s population continues to grow, the challenge of meeting the food and nutrition demand of its people will continue to intensify.
While growing more food is part of the solution, the prevention of post-harvest losses is crucial.
The biggest loss is from perishable commodities, which include livestock produce such as eggs, fish and meat (22%), fruits (19%) and vegetables (18%).
Storage, transportation and marketing play a critical role in ensuring that perishable products reach the consumer in time.
The strengthening of agri-logistics is recognised as a priority by the Committee on Doubling Farmer’s Income (DFI).
The latest agriculture Census shows that are small and marginal farmers (SMF- 86% of farmers in India) struggle to attain economy of scale due to the small production.
Together with a lack of assured market connectivity, this results in post-harvest losses, which includes income losses for the farmers.
Role of indian railways
The Indian Railways efficiently connects urban centres and rural areas across the country.
The Food Corporation of India is heavily dependent on the Indian Railways to move approximately 90% of its food grains.
In contrast, about 97% of fruits and vegetables are transported by road.
The Indian Railways has taken a few initiatives to improve its freight operations in perishables.
The truck-on-train service carries loaded trucks on railway wagons.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Railways introduced parcel special trains to transport perishables and seeds between market and producers.
Additionally, to support SMFs, the Kisan Rail was initiated to connect perishables (inclusive of milk, meat and fish) production surplus regions to consumption regions more efficiently.
A recent study highlighted the impact of the Kisan Rail scheme on reducing post-harvest losses and enhancing farmer incomes in India
Grape growers in Nashik, Maharashtra, secured a net profit of ₹5,000 per quintal by supplying about 22,000 quintals using Kisan Rail.
This highlights the advantage of using rail-based long-haul of fruits and vegetables.
However, initiatives must also focus on increasing awareness and accessibility of farmers to available Railway schemes.
Friends of Champions 12.3 India, a coalition of food supply chain actors powered by WRI India, also identified that multiple touch points during the transport of perishables using the Railways is a challenge.
Therefore, investment in specialised wagons for temperature-controlled transport and the establishment of rail-side facilities for safe cargo handling are essential.
This would also present a significant opportunity to enhance food safety in the agriculture sector, by minimising spoilage and contamination risks, thereby supporting both domestic and export markets.
Further, the DFI committee recommends streamlining loading and unloading processes to minimise transit times
There is a need for adopting systems-based approach, cutting across modes of transport and geographies.
The private sector can play a crucial role in enhancing operational efficiency and strengthening the rail infrastructure through PPP
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