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• Value addition to food products has assumed vital importance in our country due to diversity in socio-economic conditions, industrial growth, urbanization and globalization.

• Importance of Post-harvest technology lies in the fact that it has the capability to meet food requirement of growing population by eliminating losses making more nutritive food items from raw commodities by proper processing and fortification.

• India, where 80 percent people live in the villages and 70 percent of them depend on agriculture has experienced that the process of industrialization has shifted the food, feed and fiber industries to urban areas.

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Introduction

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General conditions for Post Harvest Management/Post

Primary Projects

Primary Processing and Post-Harvest Management related

projects shall be implemented either as on-farm projects linked with

individual projects of area expansion of commercial horticulture or as a

common facility for cluster of new projects of commercial horticulture

and existing orchards / farms.

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• Benefit of exclusive components of cold storage scheme shall also be

available to the promoters over and above the assistance that will be

provided under Commercial Horticulture Scheme

• Projects relating to setting up of new production units shall be

technically and financially appraised to ensure and enable entrepreneur

to incorporate latest available technology

• Projects under this scheme component may be integrated as part of

new Production Related projects or in integration with existing

Production.

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Contd….

POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT

S.NO Programme Estimate cost Proposed assistance 1. Pack houses Rs. 2.50 lakh/unit Credit linked back-ended

subsidy @ 25% of the capital cost of project in general area and 33.33% in case of Hilly & tribal Areas. 

 2. Cold storage units Rs. 2.00 crore/unit -do- 3. C.A Storage Rs. 16.00 crore/unit -do-  Ref. vans / containers Rs. 24.00 lakh/unit -do- 4. Mobile Processing

UnitsRs. 24.00 lakh/unit -do-

 5. Market Intelligence Project based Project based 6. Buy back

interventionProject based Project based

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Contd….

POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT 7. Establishment of

Marketing Infrastructure for horticultural produce in Govt./ Private/ Cooperative sector

  Credit linked back-ended subsidy @ 25% of the capital cost of project in general case and 33.33% in the case of hilly and backward area.

  a) Wholesale markets upto Rs. 100.00 crores -do-  b) Rural Markets/Apni

Mandis/ Direct MarketsRs. 15.00 lakh -do-

  c) Functional Infrastructure for collection, grading etc.

Rs. 15.00 lakh -do-

  d) Extension, quality awareness and market led extension activities for fresh processed products

Project based 100% assistance

  Processing & Value Addition

  The MFPI will sanction projects on food processing out of their budget provision.

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Contd….

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Infrastructure Developmental Programs A project on strengthening the postharvest infrastructure for horticultural crops was initiated by the National Horticulture Board in 1988–89.

Facilities were also provided to provide access to market information, for the production of fruit juice/fruit based beverages.

This project provided assistance in the establishment of grading/packing centers, retail outlets, cool stores, the procurement of plastic crates and transport vehicles.

Postharvest Management Practices For Improving Marketing

Controlled/Modified Atmospheric Storage/Packaging

Containerization

Cold/Cool Chain

Freeze Dehydration of Fruits and Vegetables

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• Modified atmosphere (MA) storage essentially involves changing the normal atmospheric gas composition around a fruit or vegetable..• In situations where this environmental change is strictly controlled with certain specific gaseous concentrations of N2 CO2 and O2, it is

termed “controlled atmosphere” (CA). • Modification of the atmospheric environment for the packaging and storage of fresh horticultural commodities, involves either a reduction in O2 levels or an elevation of CO2 concentrations. • Beneficial effects of CA and MA treatments include the retardation of ripening, senescence and physiological changes as well as the reduction of chilling injury.

Controlled/Modified Atmospheric Storage/Packaging

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Although containerization was recently introduced into India,

little use is made of containers for the national distribution of fresh horticultural produce.

Potential, however, exists for the design of low-cost containers which employ ventilation and evaporative cooling.

Cold/Cool Chain

The cold chain has contributed tremendously to trade in fruits, vegetables and flowers in developed countries.

Maintenance of low temperatures at different stages through the cold chain, results in the reduction of losses and retention of the quality of horticultural produce.

Containerization

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Freeze Dehydration of Fruits and Vegetables

• While conventionally dried fruits and vegetables lose their structural integrity and exhibit poor rehydration characteristics, freeze-dried or dehydrated fruits and vegetables retain their nascent texture and color and reconstitute fairly rapidly even in cold water owing to their porous structures.• Freeze dehydration can be thought of as an up scaling on lyophilization, a technique which is widely used in pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications to dehydrate and thereby conserve and preserve certain pharmacological and biological materials.

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Safety In The Postharvest Management Of Fruits And Vegetables

1) Regulation of specifications for foods, and 2) Regulation of hygienic conditions of processing and/or manufacturing. Some of these food safety regulations are mandatory while others are voluntary:

a) The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) implemented by the Ministry of Health, outlines specifications for various food products and is mandatory. b) The Agriculture Produce (Grading & Marking) Act implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development is voluntary. This particular act set forth the specifications for various agricultural commodities including some processed foods.

c) The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the largest body

responsible for the creation of standards for various food products. BIS

standards are voluntary.

d) A number of quality control orders have been issued under the

essential Commodities Act. These include the Food Product Order

(FPO), Milk and Milk Products Order (MMPO).

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Contd….

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Centralization and Jurisdiction of Local Agencies

A number of food analysts and food inspectors in India are mandated to assist consumers with food poisoning or food contamination concerns.

Food Inspectors collect samples for analysis by the public analyst and the local (health) authority (LHA).

In situations where food samples are adulterated, the vendor, manufacturer, distributor, or business is prosecuted by the LHA.

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• India has a good resource base, adequate research and development infrastructure and excellence in several areas of horticultural interest.• The demand for horticultural produce in India is on the rise, owing to increasing populations, changing food habits, the nutritional value of horticultural crops and a greater emphasis on postharvest management, processing and value addition.•Advantages of growth can be harnessed with well planned strategies, so as to ensure a positive future outlook.• Food safety is of growing importance in food production, processing and marketing.•Investment in food safety, while assuring risk-free ventures related to horticulture, will increase the cost of fresh produce and the processing of fruits and vegetables.• Efforts geared toward improving production technologies for fruits and vegetables will become meaningful only if the effective postharvest technology is developed and wastage is reduced.

Let us sum up