BRIEF ON POST HARVEST LOSS

POST HARVEST LOSS

source: www.indianexpress.com

Post harvest loss could be described as the economic loss and decrease throughout the supply chain that leads to reduction for the intended use and return on investment.

Promotion of reduction in post harvest loss is one means to increase efficiency in the food chain and reduce tensions between the necessary increase in consumption and the challenge to increase production particularly in the efforts to combat hunger, raise income and improve food security.

With limited natural resources (land, water, energy, fertilizer), and limited cost-effective solutions to produce enough, reducing post harvest losses should be a number one priority.

Post harvest loss occurs throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production down to final consumption.  

Studies suggest that roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year. This inevitably also means that huge amounts of the resources used in food production are used in vain, and that the greenhouse gas emissions caused by production of food that gets lost or wasted are also emissions in vain.

Given that many smallholder farmers in developing countries live on the margins of food insecurity, a reduction in post harvest losses could have an immediate and significant impact on their livelihoods.

In medium- and high-income countries losses to a significant extent occur at the consumption stage, meaning that it is discarded even when it is still suitable for human consumption. Significant losses also occur early in the supply chains in the industrialized regions.

Overall, on a per-capita basis, much more food is wasted in the industrialized world than in developing countries. It is estimated that the per capita food waste by consumers in Europe and North-America is 95-115 kg/year, while this figure in Sub-Saharan Africa and South/Southeast Asia is only 6-11 kg/year.

The causes of food losses and waste in medium/high-income countries mainly relate to consumer behavior as well as to a lack of coordination between different actors in the supply chain.

Our concern today is losses in the developing countries:

In developing countries losses occur mostly during the early and middle stages of the food supply chain; much less is wasted at the consumer level. Though there is some such loss in the urban areas due to consumer behavior eg. insufficient purchase planning and lack of coordination in farmer-buyer sales agreements and quality and standards issues.

The causes post harvest losses in developing countries are mainly connected to financial, managerial and technical limitations in harvesting techniques, storage and cooling facilities in difficult climatic conditions, infrastructure, packaging and marketing systems.

In Ghana our Medium Term Agriculture Sector Investment Plan (METASIP) the development issues on losses identified were high post-harvest losses along the value chain and low integration of commodity markets. The activities to address this include building human capacity, warehousing and distribution and agro-processing logistics.

Some specific interventions are:

·        Improved information gathering and dissemination and development of an efficient grain trade system.

·        Through extension support there will be capacity building of producers in better harvesting, transportation and storage methods, introduction of grading methods and linkages between producers and markets and linking smallholders with warehousing investments.

·        Interventions for value addition will be pursued including warehousing, agro-processing, packaging and distributing.

·        Investment in warehousing will be promoted to improve the quality of staples along the chain and to increase trade in legumes and cereals.

·        Warehousing is also expected to contribute to commodity price stabilization.

·        Existing warehouses will be upgraded by installing appropriate equipment, while new ones will be established in strategic areas in the country.

·        MOFA and relevant agencies will put in place and enforce grading standards to be applied in all warehousing centres.

·        Pockets of regional disparities in food availability in some regions such as the northern regions being food insecure to be addressed through improved food distribution network.

·        Agro-processing will be promoted through individual and group initiatives aimed at adding value to major food staples.

·        Agro-processing will be supported with environmental mitigation measures.

·        Gender equity will be emphasised in all activities along the value chain to ensure that the disadvantaged, especially women and youth play a major role in all activities.

Finally the sector policy – Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEP) and the METASIP promote a general principle of the value chain approach to increase productivity. This promotes reduction in losses and a zero waste approach by establishing vertical and horizontal linkages to utilize all by products through and agribusiness and industry chain.