Pre and post-harvest losses of pigeon pea in Maharashtra: An empirical assessment

Abstract

There are many sources of leakage between production and consumption that not only include loss of grains before harvesting of crop but also during various post-harvest operations viz. threshing, cleaning, winnowing, drying, storage, transportation, packaging, etc. The present study, therefore, makes a comprehensive attempt to estimate the dimension of losses occurring during the pre-and post harvest stages of pigeon pea among pulses cultivated in the state of Maharashtra. The study showed about 14–18 per cent of the total production of pigeon pea as lost on account of pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest operations. Such high magnitude of loss of crop production is certainly a matter of great concern. Therefore, efforts need to be initiated to curb such losses by adopting appropriate measures. It is expected that measures and programme initiatives such as adoption of improved pre-and post-harvest technology and water and paste control practices will not only increase the productivity of individual crops and their quality but these are also likely to substantially minimize the postharvest losses, increase the total crop area cover and generate adequate quality surplus for their conversion into value-added food products.