Good Agricultural Practices
and
Role of Management Systems
Dr. Hari Prakash
Joint Director
Quality Council Of India
National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies
It covers
• Status of food and its wastage in India
•GAP history in India
•What is the need of Good Agri. Practices
• Good Transportation, processing and packaging practices
•Wholesaler and retailer handling
•Food Safety Management
•Certification Process steps
•Quality Control
•Who require certification
•Benefits of certification in Marketing
Ground Reality: India, Fruits & Vegetables
 Horticulture crops – Fruits vegetables and flowers cover 7% of cropped
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area of the country
The Second Largest Grower of Fruits – 15% of World output
Low share of global Exports at 0.5%
The Second largest grower of Vegetables – 11% of World output
Low share of global exports at 1.7%
Cold storage facility is available for only 10% produce which is mainly
occupied by potato.
Farmer sells immediately due to perishiability & absence of proper
infrastructure to keep it for longer period
Post Harvest wastage of fruits & vegetables – 30 to 40 % valued at over
Rs 45,000 - 50,000 crore
Losses as above in India is more than consumption of same in UK
Food Wastage in India
 A fresh estimate from the Ministry of Food Processing
says a whopping Rs 58,000 crore (Rs 580 billion) worth
of agriculture food items get wasted in the country
every year.
 The food wastage is mainly due to lack of post- harvest
infrastructure such as cold chain facilities, transportation
and proper storage facilities, etc
 (Source: Report by Rabo India)
ROTTING OF FOOD GRAINS
Food Losses in Developing Countries
FAO said that “in developing countries 40% of
losses occur at post-harvest and processing
levels while in industrialised countries more
than 40% of losses happen at retail and
consumer levels.”
Fruit and Vegetable Wastage in India
 Against a production of 180 million mt a year of fruits,
vegetables and perishables, India has a capacity of storing only
23.6 million mt in 5,386 cold storages across the country, of
which, 80 per cent is used only for potatoes, according to the
latest DIPP paper on Foreign Direct
 Investment (FDI) in retail. According to industry estimates, 25
to 30 per cent of fruits and vegetables and 5-7 per cent of food
grains in India get wasted.
Fruit and Vegetable Waste generation at Azadpur Mandi
•India is plagued by malnutrition and soaring inflation, but it’s not
for lack of food.
•India is the second largest grower of fresh produce, but loses an
estimated 40 percent of its fruit and vegetables rot because of a
lack of refrigerated trucking, poor roads, inclement weather
and corruption.
•At Azadpur Sabzimandi not all the produce that arrives at the
market from distant places can be sold because of spoilage and
damage age in transit. Approximately over 125 mt of organic
waste is produced on a daily basis .
India is World's Hunger Capital
•India in now considered as the third largest global economy but it is still
dogged by deep rooted poverty and hunger.
•India has the highest number of undernourished people in the world —
230 million — added to which 1.5 million children are at risk of
becoming malnourished because of rising global food prices
•India ranked 65th on Global Hunger Index of 79 countries, as per a
report released by Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
•More than 27 per cent of the world’s undernourished population lives in
India.
•About 43 per cent children (under 5-years) are underweight as against
global average of 25 per cent and 28 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.
•Nearly 50 per cent of child deaths in India occur due to malnutrition
Sources of Contamination
Packaging
Material
Air
Ingredients
Food
Processing
equipments
Handlers,
Transport
Soil
Irrigation
Animals,
insects,
rodents
Source of losses in the chain
•In the field
•Harvesting and packing
•Storage
•Packaging, marking dyes
•Transport and distribution
•Wholesaler
•Retailer
•Consumer
What is GAP?
•Quality Management System in
Agricultural Production
QMS+ EMS+ Food Safety
12
Why it is so important?
GAP
Growers
Processors
Retailer
Consumer
13
GMP
GHP
Objectives of GAP
 Increasing agricultural productivity & reducing loss
 Lowering production costs (p/unit)
 Increasing food safety and quality by:
 Eradicating worst practices
 Supporting long term thinking / strategies
 Optimizing use of natural resources
 land, water, human capital
 Enhancing information sharing and consensus
on “good farming practices”
 Identifying constraints, institutional support
needs and interventions to promote GAPs
Issues
 Poor Cultivation Practices: indiscriminate use of chemicals and
fertilisers, harvesting intervals
 use of poor quality water, compost, night soil,
 Poor Handling : Thrashing, cleaning, packing, storage, and
transportation
 Market Yards: Space Shortage, poor handling , poor house
keeping, poor hygiene
 Processing : Space shortage, manual handling, poor hygiene,
poor packaging material, marking dyes
Contamination
 Biological : Microbial, bacterial, viral
 Chemical: Residues, heavy metals,
 Physical : Metals, Glass, bird droppings, rodents/ animals
feces
Quality Demands from Global Markets
 Purity Requirements: Centre-stage
 Sourcing Practices: Transparent, Healthy & Sustainable
 Consistency in Nutritional Profile
 Quantification of Protein/ Minerals/Active in gradients
 Chromatographic Fingerprinting
 Residual Pesticides
 Trace metals
Obvious Need GAP
 A Quality Management System integrating:
 Quality (of end-produce)
 Sustainability (of resource)
 Food Safety
 Nutritional Value
 Economic Benefits /social benefits(to the Producers/ Collectors)
 Specific For Agriculture Sector
 Prevailing GAP/QMS/ FSMS/ HACCP Certification Processes
have limitations for Agriculture
 “Holistic Quality Management” (HQM) as Against “Total Quality
Management” (TQM), Global GAP, India GAP,
Criteria for Good Agricultural Practices
• Site Selection & meteorological data
• Soil Conditions
• Seeds & Propagation Materials
• Crop Management
• Harvest & Post Harvest Management
• Identification & Traceability
• Personnel and Equipment
• Worker’s Health, Safety & Welfare
• Record keeping
• Self- Assessment/ Internal Audits
GAP
• Use good Seed ( no infections, weed free)
• Good soil and water (no marshland, old garbage dumps, no
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urban sludge, no contaminated/ effluent water),
Away from polluting industry, highway,
Use recommended pest control , additives and in time
Good cleanliness/ hygiene of farm, processing area, storage,
transport, equipments,
Healthy and hygienic handlers
Safe packaging material ( no contaminated/ chemical packing
material)
Safe transport, handling, storage,
Safe marketing and handing over
Soil, water, pest control
 Crop should not be grown in soil contaminated with sludge,
heavy metals, residues, plant protection products or other
chemicals etc.
 It is permissible to use farm yard manure and farm organic
residue which has been thoroughly decomposed to meet
harm-free sanitary standards. It is prohibited to use urban
household garbage, industrial and hospital wastes or night soil as
manures & fertilizer.
 Use safe water & maintain good drainage.
 Use Safe and optimum Pesticides such a way that no residual
toxicity in the raw material will be present at detectable level.
Water & Compost
Site management
Requirements of a Good Package:
Should be environment friendly.
• Should have sufficient strength in
compression and against impact
and vibrations
• Should be stable during the entire
distribution chain.
• Should be compatible with the
automatic packing/filling, handling
machines (mechanical filling
systems)
• Should facilitate special treatments
like pre-cooling.
• Should have consumer appeal.
• Should be easily printable.
• Should be cost effective.
Packaging contribution to Loses
Storage of Packaging Material
Packaging and Storage Area
Packaging and Storage
Transportation
 Should use clean and
dedicated vehicle for F&V
 These should be cleaned
regularly
 Make compartments if
required for different
produce/commodities
Handling of Fresh Produce
Who can opt for Voluntary Certification
 VC will benefit the Farmers, contract producers, collector, group of
producers/collectors, societies, traders, mandi boards, transporters,
processors, Food operators, pharmaceutical industry and foods
consumers due to the assured quality of the raw material, plants,
fruits, herbs.
To follow the principle of "maximizing sustainable
output", so as to ensure safe and sustainable availability of
the Agriculture produce.
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS
 Better quality , low risk, safe foods
 Reduced risk of recall/rejection.
 Timely Production
 Increased buyer confidence in Indian agri. Produce
 Sustainable production
 Environment protection, optimum resource utilization
 Assured Legal compliance
Voluntary Certification
Standard Owner ( FSSAI, NMPB)
Accreditation Body(QCI)
Certification Body
“The organization”
“The customer”
WHY VOLUNTARY STANDARDS?
 Largely retailer driven – need to protect themselves against
liability – vendor approval
 Competition in the market – need to differentiate oneself – Me
Too factor
 Demanding consumers – enhance confidence
 Regulators taking cognizance – demonstration of legal
compliance
 Concerns in developing countries – SPS committee - represent
barriers to trade – market driven – no role for govts
 Indian food/ feed industry to prepare for both
ABOUT QCI
 Established in 1997 by a Cabinet decision – in partnership with
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CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM
Autonomous body – regd as society - Chairman appointed by PM
(Ratan Tata, Venu Srinivasan, Dr. R.A.Mashelkar)
Provide accreditation structure in the country
Spread quality movement in India – assigned National Quality
Campaign funded by Govt
Provide right and unbiased information on quality & related
standards
Represent India’s interest in international fora
Help establish brand equity of Indian products and services
CHOOSING CB
 Caution
 ABs not members of IAF in the market
 ABs not internationally equivalent – Dubai, Pakistan etc
 Avoid CBs accredited by such ABs
 Insist on AB’s logo on your certificate – makes sure not only
accredited but for your sector also
 Go for NABCB accreditation – govt bodies making it a condition
A Reminder
United Nation has kept the theme of the Year
World Environment Day 2013
“Think.Eat.Save”
Thank You
Quality Council of India
National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies
2nd Floor, Institution of Engineers Building,
2, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002,INDIA
Tel : +91-11-23379321/9260/0567/8057
Fax: +91-11-23379621
Email :hari@qcin.orgWebsite : www.qcin.org