Food Value Chain

Food Value Chain

Food value chain refers to the different steps that food goes through, starting at the prooduction point and ending at the consumer house. The food we eat, fruits for example, is basically born and initiated in a farm in the form of a plant. Then it moves on the processing phase where crop products get harvested, divided, packaged and labelled. Afterwards, the get transported to distributors such as (super)markets, retailers etc. From that point, consumers can obtain the food for the price set based on the value the product has and (the expense of) the different stages of the supply chain. Cooling systems also play a reasonable role in these costs as well as fuels.

50% of India's milk and vegetables is wasted

India is the world's largest producer of milk and the second-largest producer of fruit and vegetables. Asia, about 40% to 50% of India’s total annual production of milk, fruit and vegetables, ends up wasted. Despite its self-sufficiency in food availability, and being one of the world’s largest grain producers, about 25% of Indians go to bed without food. "The situation is severe in the southern part of India due to unavailability of cold storage units, moreover as the climate is far more hot and humid (there)," the study stated.

Even when India was doing well in its GDP growth rate, it was doing very poorly in its HDI (human development indicators). The concept of food security is a complex and multi-dimensional one which becomes even more complicated in the context of large and diverse country like India with its overwhelming population and pervasive poverty and malnutrition. Generally, we can say that this terrific disruption is caused by several factors besides the climate, such as the inadequate infrastructure, lack of trained personnel, outdated technology and inconsistent power supply. in order to solve these obstacles and to set an adequate infrastructure managed by trained personnel, huge investments and collaborations are required.

According to the economist Sumit Bose, India’s agriculture sectors have to bolster productivity by adopting efficient business models and forging public-private partnerships. Achieving sustainability by addressing greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste are also crucial, he adds.

Sources

https://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2017/11/14/Up-to-half-of-India-s-milk-and-vegetables-wasted-from-poor-cold-chain-infrastructure

https://thewire.in/54809/chronic-hunger-lingers-in-the-midst-of-plenty/