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Abstract
The post-harvest losses have been estimated at different stages in two
major food grains, viz. rice and wheat in India. The time series data from
1982-83 to 2001-02 on area, production and productivity of the selected
food grains have been subjected to growth rate analysis. The post-harvest
losses have been estimated using the survey data collected from 100
farmers, 20 wholesalers, 20 processors and 20 retailers in each crop in
Karnataka for the year 2003-04. Tabular analysis has been used to estimate
the post-harvest losses at different stages, and functional analysis has
been used to assess the influence of socio-economic factors on postharvest
losses at the farm level.
The increase in rice production in the study district of Shimoga has been
mainly from increased area under rice. The increased rice output at the
state level is the result of increased productivity and area, while at the
national level it is the rise in productivity. The increased wheat output in
the country has been due to increased wheat productivity. The postharvest
losses at the farm level have been estimated to be 3.82 kg/ q for
rice and 3.28 kg/q for wheat. The losses have been highest during storage
in both the crops. The factors that influence the post-harvest losses
significantly at the farm level have been identified and some policy
implications have been highlighted.