Fortunes lost in veg waste

CHENNAI: Traders and farmers face a common problem – waste of vegetables by the tonne due to increase in supply that affected prices and an acute lack of storage facility for the surplus.

At least 70 tonnes of vegetables are being wasted every month at the Koyambedu wholesale market due to lack of proper storage facility. While this has impacted both farmers and traders economically, experts point out that it will adversely impact food production prices, if the situation is not managed immediately.

Climate change too has played a vital role in agricultural woes, where experts raised concern over food security.

“Tomatoes are the highest wasted vegetable in the market here, as it gets rotten within a day itself. Cabbage, cauliflower, radish, and carrots are highly perishable as well, but these can be stored for 3-4 days. We cannot give an estimation on the wastage and money, as it depends on production and supply. Farmers will be affected by 50% of loss, whereas traders take 25% hit,” says P Sukumaran, secretary, Koyambedu Wholesale Market Merchants.

More supply, less demand

Price of tomatoes reached Rs 8-12 per kg at the wholesale market due to surge in supply. At the end of the day, at least 3-4 tonnes of tomatoes are dumped even if they are sold at a lower price.

“It’s a loss for both farmers and traders. If there’s more wastage at the market, it will be used as organic manure for crop cultivation. Only if the vegetable is sold above Rs 20 per kg, farmers earn a profit,” he added.

In Tamil Nadu, vegetable wastage is more between February and March as production increases. Even during the northeast monsoon in October-December, due to shortage in supply, prices surge. “During the monsoon and also peak-summer, vegetables get spoiled within 3 hours. So, retail vendors and the public buy very minimal vegetables,” avers Sukumaran.

Storage facility

Traders say that there’s no proper storage facility in the country which is one of the main reasons for wastage. The government in Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Peru) and Mexico provide storage facilities to traders because they have similar climatic conditions like India. For example, to store onions, they have warehouses with open ventilators which keep onions fresh for six months. When production increases, it will be used accordingly.

Similarly, even for highly perishable commodities, they have a deep-freezing system. “If these problems are addressed at the earliest, it can help farmers and avoid wastage. It will also help farmers to export commodities directly,” point out traders.

Currency valuation

Foreign currency is used for agricultural products, so it should be given more importance. Traders claim that only 75% of agriculture is done in Tamil Nadu, but neighbouring states Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are into it.

“If this continues, only fewer farmers will be doing agricultural activities. And there will be a food shortage globally. When production decreases, prices will increase abnormally and will affect the common man,” says R Muthuvel, a farmer in Tenkasi.

Climate change variability

Meanwhile, monsoon variability has been the cause of concern for a country which employs 50% of its workforce in rain-fed dependent agriculture.

Number of dry days has increased during the four-month long season, while rainy days have reduced. However, extreme weather events have increased.

Although, in the last three years (2019-2021), India has recorded normal to above normal rainfall but variability in dispersal of monsoon rains have been ever high.

Over 40% of the sown area of India is still dependent on rain-fed irrigation. Experts have raised concerns about delayed progress of the monsoon, especially for the north-western plains.

Climate change triggered alterations are already taking place in the sowing windows. In some cases, farmers are replacing traditional yields with cash crops. In the absence of rain but increased humidity due to global warming, crop diseases and different types of pests have also increased.

Rain-fed crops

Southwest monsoon is a key influencer in the Indian economy especially for the 18% GDP share from agriculture, along with allied industries. This period coincides with the sowing season for India’s main cropping season named Kharif, for rice cultivation.

“Kharif sowing has been affected due to prolonged dry spell that continues, while the northeast region is bearing the brunt of extreme heavy rainfall. Meanwhile, for the rest of the country sowing is in process. This variability in rainfall dispersal has an impact on food production. Sowing intensity gets affected, while increased humidity levels lead to several diseases,” says Devinder Sharma, agro trade policy analyst.

When the country is only concerned about production level, farmer welfare in terms of income and their food security takes a massive hit. “There’s a need for an adequate policy approach so that we do not end up victimising farmers,” he avers.