‘Plan to control food inflation, wastage on urgent basis’
18 Sep 2014 12:16 AM GMT
Alarming figures indicate that India wastes food equal to what Britain consumes annually. In fact we every year waste Rs 44,000 crores worth of perishables. Citing these figures, food processing industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal identified food wastage as a major concern which she plans to take up and resolve. In an exclusive chat with Millennium Post, she said, ‘We plan to control food inflation immediately and one of the biggest reasons behind it is food wastage.’
Badal said, ‘As per a study done in 2009-10 by our ministry 18 per cent of food gets wasted, this amount has obviously gone up from then. We have made food maps to show exactly which fruits and vegetables are grown where in the country. Then we identify which ones which cause maximum inflation and develop infrastructure needed to stop the wastage.’
Taking a cue from PM Narendra Modi, another core area of focus for the ministry is on skill development. ‘Each food processing unit can actually be a hub for skill training. The ministry acts like a catalyst,’ said the minister.
Badal said, ‘As per a study done in 2009-10 by our ministry 18 per cent of food gets wasted, this amount has obviously gone up from then. We have made food maps to show exactly which fruits and vegetables are grown where in the country. Then we identify which ones which cause maximum inflation and develop infrastructure needed to stop the wastage.’
Taking a cue from PM Narendra Modi, another core area of focus for the ministry is on skill development. ‘Each food processing unit can actually be a hub for skill training. The ministry acts like a catalyst,’ said the minister.
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