Ashim Kumar Mukherjee | News 365Times
New Delhi: “War without limits equals suffering without end” said Mirjana Spoljaric, President, International Committee of the Red Cross. India is not an exception. All countries, specifically, those dependent on imported petroleum energy are facing crisis – India included. With every passing day, the crisis shall deepen incrementally because of its cascading effect. High energy density, easy transportability, several other by-products like fertilizer, plastics make petroleum crude oil an indispensable part of human civilization.
To deal with this crisis, India is to fallback to its own potential and strength, powered by heritage knowledge and age-old practices of getting aligned with nature. Only one aspect of Food Loss and Wastage is being highlighted here.
Post harvest losses in India in FY2014 was estimated to be INR 926.51 billion.Against unstarred question no. 2181 answered on 12-March-2025, citing UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024, The Minister of State Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Sri B. L. Verma had stated that the estimated food wastage in India in 2022 was 55 kg/capita/year in India.It has been estimated that India loses about 74 million tonnes of food annually — enough to feed every hungry stomach several times over. That’s equivalent to over 18,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools filled with wasted food or enough to feed the entire population of Brazil for a year. This wastage amounts to ~1% of India’s GDP. In a report of October 2024, citing BMC’s Annual Environmental Survey, it has been stated that estimated daily food waste in Mumbai was around 4573 metric tonnes accounting for approximately 72.6% of 6300 tonnes of the total waste collected. (BMC – Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation).From several studies, it has been found that approximately one-fifth of the food at the social get-together and marriage functions are wasted. Overestimation of guest count, excess menu variety and guests’ consumption of more than necessity accounts for 32%, 40% and 28% of food waste respectively. With 10 million weddings happening annually in India, one can imagine extent of food waste and enormity of the problems caused by plenty possessed by few.
It is not known quantity of food loss and food waste in the FY2025-26; however in order to have a fair idea of India’s sufferings and vastness of the issues, it may be pointed out that
- To prepare the wasted food, some vegetable oils were definitely used. If it is viewed on the perspective of foreign currency spending, then it could be seen that India spent foreign currency of USD19.5 billion to import vegetable oils in the FY2025-26.
- To produce the total food lost (after harvest but before reaching to consumer) and food waste, combined, some mineral fertilizers were used. India spent foreign currency USD14.5 billion to import mineral fertilizers in the FY2025-26.
- To transport, packaging, preservation of all such food lost and food wasted, some petroleum products were used. India spent foreign currency USD134.7 billion to import crude petroleum in the FY2025-26.
How long this dichotomy-oriented economy can survive?
Let us think and act for our own survival, for liberty of our nation.
