FOOD WASTAGE - A HUGE PROBLEM FACED IN INDIA

Even though India grows enough food to feed its entire population yet millions of people still remain hungry, this is shown by the fact that India ranks 100 in global hunger index out of the 119 countries. About 7% of its total food production is wasted while millions of Indians have to sleep on empty stomach, all this food is lost during its production, processing, retailing and consumption. 

The most obvious thing we need to do is to control wastage. Even though India is largest producer of fruits and vegetables around 30 - 40% of it is wasted due to lack of refrigerator storage, poor transport, inadequate logistics support. According to Food and Agriculture Organisation it's worth is around 3.8 billion dollars.

Food wastage leads to problems such as hunger and malnutrition

Not only this, there are other severe  consequences too as millions of tons of wheat rots each year due to improper storage. India faces a loss of around Rs 2 lakh crore annually due to such problems. Moreover 60% of food subsidies does not reach poor due to middlemen. 

In 1964 even FCI was set up to help regarding such things but they neither have warehouse capacity nor man power to help much. Even the buffer stock is left in open, stored in make shift spaces etc. increasing rates of spoilage. To improve the situation there is a dire need to develop the infrastructure at necessary places, replace middlemen and introduce better policies. More than this we need strong will of political class and imagination. Solving this problem can also help with many other issues such as hunger, poverty, malnutrition and pave way for a better and prosperous India. 

But are the current policies enough for this? We do need imaginative Policies, but what can they be? What would be India's future if such problems aren't tended timely? 

We surely need to find answers quickly.

 WRITTEN BY- RIYA JAIN
                        ( NET IMPACT MEMBER) 

CURATED BY- POOJAN SEHGAL