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Wastage in Food Value Chains in Developing Countries: Evidence from the Potato Sector in Asia

Food Security in a Food Abundant World

ISBN: 978-1-78560-215-3, eISBN: 978-1-78560-214-6

Publication date: 12 January 2016

Abstract

Purpose

Wastage and post-harvest losses in food value chains are becoming increasingly debated and policies are being increasingly designed to reduce food wastages. Despite its presumed importance, there is large variation in the importance and type of food losses and wastage. We identify the levels of food wastage at various levels of the potato food chain for three Asian countries.

Methodology/approach

Surveys were fielded to better measure the important variation between value chain agents, to capture wastage at each level, to analyze the structure of the value chain, and to evaluate wastage over the whole value chain (except for consumption). We generate data on an important staple in these countries and analyze the importance of waste in domestic rural-urban food value chains, often the most important value chain in these countries.

Findings

We find total quantities of potatoes wasted are equal to 5.2% in the harvest period and 6.4% in the off-season of all quantities that enter the value chain for Bangladesh. Even lower numbers are obtained in India (3.2% and 3.3%, respectively). These wastage levels are higher in China, possibly because of the significantly longer distances that potatoes are shipped.

Practical implications

The use of cold storage facilities can minimize the level of wastage in the potato distribution chain. Studies of this type of storage for other countries and commodities can identify opportunities in which adoption of cold storage can provide the greatest contributions toward the elimination of food wastage.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments

The surveys that the study relies upon were financed by the Asian Development Bank (through the 13th Reta grant). We would like to acknowledge the support and guidance as well as the stimulating questions from Ashok Gulati and Lourdes Adriano, the overall managers of this research project. Bart Minten would also like to acknowledge his association as research fellow with Licos-KULeuven. We would further like to thank various people who contributed to the study: we appreciate the help of Data Ltd for the Bangladesh case study; Suneet Singh for the India case study; and Kevin Chen, Kan Zhang, and Xinwang Guo for the China case study. We would also like to thank Gopal Naik, Sukhpal Singh, and Grahame Dixie and participants at workshops in Delhi for their useful comments and insights on earlier versions of the chapter. However, the authors are solely responsible for content.

Citation

Minten, B., Reardon, T., Gupta, S.D., Hu, D. and Murshid, K.A.S. (2016), "Wastage in Food Value Chains in Developing Countries: Evidence from the Potato Sector in Asia", Food Security in a Food Abundant World (Frontiers of Economics and Globalization, Vol. 16), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 225-238. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1574-871520150000016010

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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