Safe Grain Storage- Post Harvest Technology: An Indian Perspective

Abstract

Due to green revolution and technological advancement in crop production, India has attained sufficiency in food grain productivity, yet a large population in our country goes hungry. The major reason for this is the postharvest losses that occur during storage, procurement and distribution. Factors such as improper and inadequate storage facilities, climatic conditions, ineffective management policies lead to physical, chemical and biological deterioration of food grains. Abiotic factors such as grain moisture content, temperature, initial grain condition and aeration system are crucial considerations for safe storage. Biological deterioration and losses due to fungi, mites, insects, birds and rodents are also significant. In India, Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the nodal agency, under the Ministry of consumer affairs, responsible for procurement of food grains at minimum support price (MSP), movement of produce to deficit regions, public distribution system (PDS) and maintenance of buffer stocks. Government of India constituted a high-level Shanta Kumar Committee in 2014 to recommend ways to rationalize and minimize postharvest losses, in addition to the already existing government policies. Futuristic approach to prevent these losses are to have bold and proactive reforms in India's grain management systems by implementing the recommendations of the Committee, using appropriate storage protocols, continuing subsidy only to the poor under Antyodaya Anna Yojna (AAY), controlling the subsidized grain distribution under NFSA (National Food Security Act-2013), intervention of private sectors and liquidation of stocks to contain inflation.