Identification of potential clusters for important crops in Bihar for sustainable value chain development
Student name: Mr Farmanullah Nasiri
Guide: Dr Sapna Narula
Year of completion: 2017
Host Organisation: Global AgriSystem Private Limited, New Delhi
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr B.K. Sikka
Abstract: India, a land of diversity in terms of agro ecology produces almost all types of fruits and
vegetables. It is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables with an area of
16.6 million hectare and production of 251.25 million tones. However, fruits covered
area of 7.21 million hectare and production of 88.97 million tons, while vegetables
covered area of 9.39 million hectare and production of 162.28 million tones,
respectively (NHB, 2013). Its major fruits are Mango, Banana, Grapes, Apple, Guava,
Orange, Pomegranate, Pineapple, and Papaya. Major vegetables are Potato, Cabbage,
Brinjal, Cauliflower, Onion, Okra and Tomato.
Amongst the various fruit crops, India ranks first in tropical fruits like Mango. The total
area under mango cultivation was 2,217 thousand hectares and total production was
18,506 thousand MT which accounts for 42% of the total world production, while the
worldwide production was 43.30 million MT (FAOSTAT, 2013 & NHB, 2014).
Major mango producing States are Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar,
Gujarat,Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal & Jharkhand. Bihar stands the fourth in
mango production and covers about 49% of the total fruit area in the state and alone
produces 7% of the total production in the country. These are highly perishable
commodities, having very high post-harvest losses (5.8-40) % when compared to other
agricultural commodities (Alam, 2016).
The producer’s share in consumer Rupee is very less in case of perishable produce and
major share goes in the hands of market intermediaries. This is due to inefficient supply
chain, weak processing and value addition infrastructure, waste during post-harvest
storage and handling caused by improper bagging without crafting, lack of suitable cold
chain and lack of skills which results in immense losses to the nation.
Therefore, a proper value chain development in fruits and vegetables has to be
improved in all the stages of the chain to meet the country’s demand of fruits and
vegetables by implementing best practices in packaging, handling, storage,
transportation, value added service etc. Government and private operators have to join
hands to improve information sharing, post-harvest handling management, physical
infrastructure and the service required for quality improvement of the supply chain.
The main objective of this paper is to study and analyze the status of agricultural
produce, to assess the existing value chain of the produce in order to identify specific
barriers and opportunities. Finally, the research intends to suggest required
interventions for increasing production, income and employment in the state of Bihar to
sustain the livelihood of farmers.
Keywords: Fruits & Vegetables, Perishable, Post-Harvest, Value Chain, Cold Storage and
Income
