Can save 6-18% farm produce adopting proper storage tech: Govt

About 6-18 per cent of farm produce can be saved by adopting proper storage methods after harvesting, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Friday.

“After harvesting, 4 to 6 per cent in grains and 12 to 15 per cent in fruits and vegetables are wasted. If proper method and technique is adopted after harvesting, 6 to 18 per cent agriculture produce can be saved,” Singh said at the third meeting of Indian Grain Storage Working Group held here.

Since the income of farmers has to be doubled in next five years, it becomes more important that priority be given to research, scientific storage and processing related to it, he said in a statement.

Stating that it is a challenge to reduce the wastage after harvesting, the Minister said it was important to pay more attention on development of low-cost storage systems for farm level storage, cost-effective storage systems for agro-processing industries and development of modern warehouses for bag storage structures.

He also emphasised on putting in place grain quality analysis protocols for safe storage, grain cleaning, drying and bagging equipment besides fumigation methods for grains.