Climate Change: Need for long term preservation of agricultural products

- Promote cold storage, warehouse etc

- Occasional

- Recently shortage of onion and tomato exposed the limits of agricultural sector

A report by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has suggested that India is adopting a healthy policy to preserve perishable food items to prevent the sudden increase in food prices in the country. The report emphasized the need for major improvements in the supply chain of perishables such as transportation infrastructure, warehousing and storage technologies, in view of the shock to the country's economy from the rise in vegetable prices. It is expected that not only productivity gains will be achieved through these reforms but also consumers will continue to get perishable food items including vegetables at stable prices.

The reforms will also ensure remunerative prices to the farmers. There have been several instances of dumping of agricultural produce like tomatoes and onions in the face of overproduction. The country's poor cold storage system and inadequate supply chain are being blamed for high food prices. In the current year, tomato prices in the country jumped by 400 percent during the monsoon compared to the beginning of the year and reached Rs 300 per kg. Other crops were also damaged due to flood conditions. A similar situation was seen in the price of onion and other vegetables. The country's retail inflation rose to 7.44 percent in July due to higher food prices. Which indicates instability in the supply of vegetables in the country.

Since the independence of the country, the agricultural sector of the country has been continuously facing different types of stress. In addition to the necessary infrastructure for the preservation and transportation of vegetables, the problem of electricity and water has also not ended as expected. Apart from the various factors required for the agriculture sector, electricity and water have been the basic problems of our country since independence. It does not seem possible to double the income of farmers without solving these problems.

Agriculture accounts for less than fifty percent of the average monthly income of a farming family in India. Without finding a solution to the agricultural problem, the condition of the agricultural sector cannot be improved. Saving in agricultural expenditure and wastage can be said to increase the farmer's income.

Several measures must be taken to improve the condition of the country's agricultural sector. Especially measures for water availability. Water resource management is a major challenge for farmers. Integrated irrigation facilities reduce reliance on rainwater for agriculture. Sufficient irrigation system across the country can see stability in farm production and increase in farmers' income. Through the use of water management technologies, the conflict of water for agriculture, industry and domestic consumption can be avoided. The use of such technologies and new and efficient water management methods can attract the new generation to agricultural business. These technologies and methods will revolutionize our agricultural sector and will help significantly in reducing the dependence on monsoon rains, he said. As a result, the income of farmers will not be adversely affected even in weak monsoon conditions. In the event of a weak monsoon, it is the turn of the small and medium farmers to suffer on the income front. The impact of El Niño in the current year's monsoon has posed a threat to agricultural produce.

It is a well-known fact that after harvesting of the crop, during the transportation from the field to the market place and to the place of consumption, due to the lack of necessary infrastructure facilities, the grain is wasted and wasted. In addition to the Reserve Bank, the attention of the authorities has been drawn many times in other studies.