New Page 3India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world with74.877 million metric tonnes production of fruits and 146.554 million metrictonnes production of vegetables for the year 2010-11. The cumulative wastages infruits and vegetables is estimated at 5.8% to 18%. As per study by the CentralInstitute for Post Harvest Engineering & Technology, Ludhiana (published in2010) post-harvest losses of major agricultural produces including fruits andvegetables at National level were estimated to the tune of about Rs. 44,000crore per annum. “Creation and Management of cold chain infrastructure” foragriculture has been identified a thrust area by the Prime Minister.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries provides financial assistance in theform of grant-in-aid. Other agencies of the Government like NationalHorticulture Mission (NHM), National Horticulture Board (NHB), Agricultural andProcessed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), NationalCooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) and State Government's also provideassistance for cold storages under their respective schemes.
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