“India, the second largest producer of vegetables in the world, loses Rs 30,000 crore per year as 25 per cent of the produce gets damaged because of poor and unscientific storage,” says Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana.
Speaking to the media, Dr Manjit Singh Kang, vice-chancellor, PAU, said, “The poor storage arrangements in the country damage a lot of vegetables. This also affects the retail prices of the products as they remain unstable throughout the year.”
He also observed that excessive uses of fertilisers and pesticides by farmers have disastrous effects on the soil, water and air, and thus pollute the produce.
Kang said, “The government and the corporates should join hands and come up with storage solutions to help the farmers.”
