Parliament Question: Wastage of Food-grains

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6397 ANSWERED ON 02ND APRIL, 2026 WASTAGE OF FOOD-GRAINS 6397. SHRI ARUP CHAKRABORTY: Will the Minister of FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES be pleased to state: (a) the details of wastage of food grains recorded during the last three years due to lack of godowns and storage facilities, State-wise; and (b) the details of wastage of perishable crops like sugarcane recorded during the last three years due to lack of godowns close to farms or processing units, State-wise? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES (SHRI RAVNEET SINGH) (a) & (b): The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) estimates post-harvest losses from time to time for various agri-produces in the country through commissioning of studies based on primary surveys. Two studies were commissioned by the Ministry through (i) Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) -Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering & Technology (CIPHET), 2015 with reference year 2012-14 and (ii) NABARD Consultancy Service Pvt. Ltd (NABCONS), 2022 with reference year 2020-22. The available studies on post-harvest losses are periodic in nature and do not provide year-wise estimates. In the latest study conducted by NABCONS, 54 crops have been selected across the country based on production levels. Accordingly, the estimated percentage of post-harvest losses of various agricultural produce in India including food grains and perishable crops at different stages such as handling, storage, transportation, processing, etc., with reference to the crops selected in the State, is placed at Annexure. *****ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6397 FOR ANSWER ON 02ND APRIL, 2026 ON “WASTAGE OF FOOD-GRAINS” State Wise Post-Harvest Losses of various agri-produce in India Andhra Pradesh Assam Chhattisgarh Overall Overall Total Overall Total Total Product Product Product Loss (%) Loss (%) Loss (%) Bajra 5.07 Cabbage 7.38 Bottlegourd 6.77 Banana 9.33 Egg 6.05 Guava 13.79 Black gram 5.56 Meat 3.44 Paddy 3.92 Cashew nut 4.82 Mushroom 4.48 Radish 6.66 Chickpea 5.71 Paddy 6.07 Chilli 7.06 Pineapple 7.11 Gujarat Overall Citrus Poultry Meat Product 7.97 6.61 Total Coconut 4.32 Radish 5.14 Green gram 5.85 Cottonseed 3.03 Bajra 4.41 Egg 5.47 Andaman & Nicobar Islands Tomato 10.97 Overall Total Green gram Product Cottonseed 6.17 Loss (%) 2.93 Groundnut 6.58 Areca nut 6.44 Groundnut 5.31 Inland fish 4.68 Coconut 4.25 Okra 5.79 Maize 5.98 Sapota 7.47 Mango 7.9 Bihar Cabbage 8.39 Overall Total Marine fish Product Cauliflower 8.5 Loss (%) 7.99 Milk 0.58 Bottlegourd 7.35 Milk 0.5 Muskmelon 7.42 Brinjal 7.52 Onion 7.57 Paddy 5.73 Cabbage 8.7 Mustard 4.38 Papaya 6.58 Cauliflower 6.76 Potato 5.18 Pomegranate 8.69 Green gram 6.06 Wheat 5.18 Poultry Meat 7.39 Guava 15.36 Maize 5.18 Sorghum 5.67 Inland fish 5.99 Beans 6.65 Tapioca N/A Maize 5.83 Brinjal 6.99 Tomato 12.36 Mango 10.1 Banana 7.59 Turmeric 4.97 Okra 6.27 Black gram 4.8 Paddy 4.65 Papaya 5.81 Pineapple 5.89 Paddy 4.54 Potato 6.11 Pigeon Pea 4.27 Radish 5.11 Sugarcane 8.99 Sunflower 5.18Haryana Jharkhand Karnataka Overall Total Loss Overall Total Overall Total Product Product Product (%) Loss (%) Loss (%) Bajra 3.77 Papaya 6.73 Areca nut 4.15 Chickpea 5.66 Bajra 5.03 Cottonseed 2.55 Jammu & Kashmir Beans 7.33 Overall Total Egg Product Black pepper Loss (%) 6.74 1.31 Meat 2.88 Apple 9.51 Capsicum 5.75 Milk 0.74 Egg 6.08 Cashew nut 3.17 Mushroom 5.91 Maize 3.92 Coconut 3.78 Mustard 4.52 Egg 5.64 Poultry Grapes Meat 4.63 Kerala 8.02 Overall Total Radish Product Inland fish Loss (%) 7.51 4.82 Sugarcane 6.34 Areca nut 4.01 Maize 4.41 Black Sunflower Marine fish 4.44 pepper 1.26 8.97 Cashew Wheat Onion 4.37 nut 3.07 8.7 Coconut 3.61 Pigeon Pea 4.57 Himachal Pradesh Egg 5.53 Pineapple 3.73 Overall Total Loss Marine Product Pomegranate (%) fish 8.75 8.19 Apple 9.2 Meat 2.2 Safflower 3.1 Poultry Capsicum Sorghum 5.74 Meat 5.32 5.69 Green Pea 6.35 Tapioca 4.8 Soybean 6.63 Mushroom 6.01 Sugarcane 4.84 Wheat 3.32 Sunflower 4.22 Maize 2.27 Tomato 9.97 Turmeric 4.63Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Meghalaya Overall Overall Total Overall Total Loss Product Total Product Product Loss (%) Loss (%) (%) Bajra 4.53 Bajra 4.21 Tapioca 4.99 Black gram 6.73 Banana 6.06 Turmeric 5.64 Bottlegourd 7.46 Black gram 7.48 Cashew nut 4.53 Capsicum 4.33 Chickpea 5.4 Cauliflower 6.46 Citrus 8.79 Nagaland Overall Total Loss Chickpea Cottonseed Product 5.85 2.98 (%) Chilli 6.29 Eggs 5.55 Tapioca 5.42 Citrus 7.4 Grapes 6.73 Coriander 6.01 Green gram 5.9 Odisha Overall Total Loss Egg Groundnut Product 6.33 6.16 (%) Bottle Green Pea Maize 6.27 5.3 gourd 7.57 Groundnut 6.11 Mango 8.61 Brinjal 7.3 Guava 14.93 Marine fish 8.8 Cabbage 8.08 Maize 6.3 Meat 2.78 Cauliflower 7.65 Milk 0.53 Milk 0.65 Chickpea 6.09 Muskmelon 5.76 Mushroom 9.24 Egg 6.63 Mustard 4.86 Onion 6.78 Green gram 6.11 Okra 5.84 Paddy 4.44 Inland fish 5.68 Onion 8.11 Pigeon Pea 6.9 Marine fish 9.89 Paddy 4.2 Pomegranate 6.02 Mushroom 13.64 Pigeon Pea 6.43 Poultry Meat 4.78 Okra 6.25 Potato 7 Safflower 3.02 Paddy 4.17 Sorghum 6.76 Sorghum 6.16 Tomato 13.19 Soybean 7.36 Soybean 8.84 Tomato 11.85 Sugarcane 8.61 Wheat 4.94 Sunflower 4.93Punjab Tamil Nadu Uttarakhand West Bengal Overall Overall Overall Overall Total Total Total Total Product Product Product Product Loss Loss Loss Loss (%) (%) (%) (%) Capsicum 4.31 Banana 7.47 Apple 11.5 Beans 5.48 Citrus 5.4 Beans 7.82 Milk 1.16 Brinjal 7.85 Green Pea 6.67 Black gram 5.93 Paddy 2.87 Cabbage 8.71 Maize 6.91 Egg 6.6 Sugarcane 5.46 Cauliflower 7.26 Milk 0.63 Groundnut 5.31 Wheat 2.51 Eggs 7.07 Mushroom 6.7 Maize 4.39 Green gram 6.24 Muskmelon 5.48 Marine fish 9.14 Uttar Pradesh Groundnut 7.24 Overall Total Paddy Meat Product Guava Loss 3.15 3.04 (%) 15.86 Potato 5.57 Mushroom 11.03 Bajra 4.11 Inland fish 3.79 Sugarcane 4.38 Paddy 5.98 Black gram 6.11 Maize 5.42 Poultry Bottle Wheat Marine fish 4.55 Meat 6.08 gourd 6.43 8.94 Sorghum 6.29 Egg 6.06 Meat 2.41 Rajasthan Sugarcane 8.65 Green Pea 6.34 Milk 1.09 Overall Total Product Inland fish Mustard Loss (%) 4.99 6.21 Bajra 5.03 Telangana Maize 5.77 Okra 6.05 Overall Total Black gram Product Meat Paddy Loss 5.74 (%) 2.8 5.14 Chickpea 5.83 Chilli 6.06 Milk 1.12 Pineapple 5.66 Coriander 5.7 Citrus 7.73 Mushroom 2.74 Potato 5.71 Poultry Cottonseed Cottonseed Muskmelon 2.53 3.04 7.25 Meat 5.41 Greengram 6.21 Egg 5.36 Mustard 5.97 Radish 6.45 Groundnut 5.03 Green gram 6.24 Paddy 4 Sunflower 5.21 Maize 5.81 Groundnut 6.67 Potato 5.82 Wheat 6.13 Poultry Milk Maize 1.35 6.51 Meat 7.24 Mustard 4.75 Meat 1.61 Sugarcane 6.91 Sorghum 6.01 Pigeon Pea 5.01 Wheat 6.36 Poultry Soybean 6.54 Meat 8.12 Wheat 6.25 *****