Mr. Mohanta further stated that India is one of the highest producers of many F&Vs in the world but is unable to capitalize on this opportunity due to low processing rates of the items. India produces fruits and vegetables in superior quantity and variety. Yet people have access to only a minute proportion of it due to the inefficient storage facility and logistics. In a gist traditional logistics is still not completely efficient in the transportation of goods. Also, the cold storage facilities available in India are fragmented. Some of these options are costlier and hence can inflate the price of the commodity. Innovation and research in this area are the need of the hour.
The other adversity faced by F&V industry in India as per Mr. Mohanta is the gap between prices paid to the farmers and the market price of items. This exists due to the lack of uniformity in the markets and market offerings in India.
The government plans to increase the engagement of small and marginal farmers through social reforms. However, it should understand that the engagement of farmers can be increased by understanding the demand of the consumers. The consumer demand is about quality, variety, convenience, etc. The government must try to bridge this gap.
The another issue discussed is that of proper planning of harvest. India reports having more than 30% of harvest losses. Yet the farmers have not been able to develop the means of incorporating ideas to reduce the losses.
The session ended with an insightful video on how Mother Dairy is working on the ground level with the farmers to rip the benefits of modern agricultural sciences and supply chain as well. It was indeed a knowledge gaining session about the various aspects of supply chain specifically pertaining to Indian Agriculture.
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