From Farm to Fork: Tackling Fruit and Vegetable Wastage in India
Have you ever seen a pile of tomatoes, bananas or vegetables being thrown away in a market? We usually notice the waste, but we may not think about how much effort went into growing and transporting that food.
India produces large quantities of fruits and vegetables every year. However, a considerable amount of this produce is lost before it reaches our plates. The problem can start at the farm and continue during transportation, storage, selling and even after the food reaches our homes.
The journey from a farm to our plate
Consider a simple example of a tomato. A farmer grows and harvests it, after which it may travel a long distance to reach a city market. During transportation, tomatoes can get damaged because of rough handling or unsuitable packaging. If the journey takes too long or the temperature is too high, some may spoil.
The problems do not stop there. If a shopkeeper buys more tomatoes than can be sold, the remaining tomatoes may become overripe and eventually be thrown away.
Even at home, some food gets wasted. We sometimes buy more than we need, forget about fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator, or throw them away when they become overripe.
So, food waste can happen at many different stages.
How big is the problem in India?
The numbers show that this is much bigger than just a few vegetables being thrown away.
WRI India, citing estimates from NABCONS, reports that India's post-harvest food losses are worth about ₹1.53 lakh crore every year, with around 68.9 million tonnes of food lost annually.
Fruits and vegetables are especially vulnerable because they are perishable. The estimated post-harvest loss is around 11.61% for tomatoes and 15% for guava. Fruits and vegetables together account for about 37% of the economic value of India's post-harvest losses.
Food is also wasted after it reaches our homes. Estimates indicate that Indian households generate around 7.82 crore tonnes of food waste every year.
These figures make it clear that food wastage is not only a problem of markets or farmers. It is a problem across the entire food system.
Why does this happen?
There are many reasons.
Farmers may not be able to sell their produce because of low prices, bad weather or a lack of workers for harvesting. During transportation, poor roads, delays and unsuitable packaging can damage fresh produce.
Storage is another important issue. Fruits and vegetables need suitable temperature and humidity conditions, but adequate cold-storage facilities are not available everywhere.
At markets, unsold produce can quickly become waste. Consumers may also prefer fruits and vegetables that look perfect, even though small marks or changes in appearance do not always mean that the food is unsafe to eat.
At home, buying too much and storing food incorrectly can lead to unnecessary waste.
What happens when food is wasted?
It is easy to think that wasting one tomato or one banana does not matter. But the food itself is only one part of the story.
Water was used to grow it. Farmers spent time and effort producing it. Fuel was used to transport it. Energy and resources were used for storage and selling.
When that food is thrown away, all these resources have been used without providing any benefit.
Food waste can also create environmental problems when it is sent to landfills, where it can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
Can technology help?
Technology cannot solve the whole problem, but it can help at several stages.
For example, AI-based demand forecasting could help shops predict how much produce they are likely to sell. This could reduce over-purchasing.
Better packaging could protect fruits and vegetables from bruising and spoilage. Packaging could even be designed differently for different types of produce. A soft fruit such as a peach would need different protection from something like a potato.
Affordable sensors could also be used in storage areas to monitor temperature and humidity. If conditions become unsuitable, the system could give an alert.
Another simple idea is dynamic pricing. If a supermarket knows that some fruits or vegetables are likely to spoil soon, it could reduce their prices instead of waiting until they have to be thrown away.
Food that is still safe to eat could also be donated to people who need it. Produce that can no longer be eaten could be converted into compost or other useful products.
What can India do?
There is no single solution to food wastage.
India needs better storage facilities, improved transportation, suitable packaging and better planning at markets. Technology can support these changes, but consumers also have an important role.
We can buy only what we need, store fruits and vegetables properly and avoid throwing away food simply because it does not look perfect.
The important thing is to think about food waste before the food reaches the garbage bin. If we can prevent damage, sell surplus food, donate what is still edible and reuse what cannot be eaten, much less food will end up as waste.
A small change with a big impact
The next time you see a bruised tomato or an overripe banana being thrown away, think about its journey.
It may have travelled from a farm hundreds of kilometres away and used water, energy, fuel, money and human effort along the way.
Reducing food waste is therefore not just about saving a piece of food.
It is about making better use of everything that went into producing it.
If India can reduce the amount of food lost between the farm and our plates, we can save resources, reduce economic losses and help create a more sustainable food system.
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