UPSC (IAS) Preparation - Only most important current affairs for UPSC / IAS /UKPSC

12 August 2015

Technology for Food Processing

A study to assess the harvest and post-harvest losses of major crops and commodities in India has been undertaken by Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), Ludhiana under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on behalf of this Ministry. As per the study, major reasons for wastage of food grain produce are poor farm operations like harvesting, threshing, storage, insect/pest infestation etc. In case of fruits and vegetables also there are high losses in farm level operations. As per the report the extent of losses varies from 4.58% to 15.88% in respect of fruits and vegetables and 4.65% to 5.99% in case of cereals.

To encourage investment in latest technology of food preservation, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries is operating a Central Sector Scheme of Cold Chain, Value Addition and Preservation Infrastructure with the objective of preventing post- harvest horticulture & non-horticulture losses by providing financial assistance for setting up integrated cold chain and preservation infrastructure facilities. Under the Scheme, financial assistance is provided in the form of grants-in-aid upto 50 % of the cost of Technical Civil Work and Plant & Machinery in general areas and 75 % in NE and hilly areas subject to maximum of Rs. 10 crore per project. Integrated cold chain and preservation infrastructure can be set up by individuals, groups of entrepreneurs, cooperative societies, Self Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), NGOs, Central/State PSUs, etc.

Under this scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned 138 cold chain projects so far since inception of the scheme in 2008. The Cold Chain scheme has acted as a catalyst in bringing investment in this sector. The total project cost of 138 projects is Rs. 3271 crore with private investment of Rs. 2162 crore and grant-in-aid of Rs. 1109 crore.

In addition, National Horticulture Mission (NHM), National Horticulture Board (NHB), and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) under Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Government of India are also providing assistance for setting up cold storages under their respective schemes.

India Signs Financing Agreement with World Bank for US$ 308.40 Million for National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project-II

The Financing Agreement for World Bank (IDA) assistance of US$ 308.40 million for National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project-II (NCRMP-II) was signed between Government of India and the World Bank here today.

The objective of NCRMP-II is to reduce vulnerability to cyclone and other hydro-meteorological hazards of coastal communities in the States of Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and West Bengal; and increase the capacity of the State entities to effectively plan for and respond to disasters. The primary beneficiaries of NCRMP-II will be coastal communities in the target states benefitting from cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure and early warning systems. The project will also finance technical assistance for strengthening of multi-hazard risk management at the national level and improving the quality of available information on multi-hazard risks for decision making across the country.

NCRMP-II has four components which are: (i) Early Warning Dissemination Systems; (ii) Cyclone Risk Mitigation Infrastructure; (iii) Technical Assistance for Multi-Hazard Risk Management; and (iv) Project Management and Implementation Support.

The project is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs through National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). At the State level, it is executed by the respective State Disaster Management Authorities.

Green Climate Fund

The Government has established the National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change (NAFCC) with a budget provision of Rs. 350 Crores for the year 2015-16 and 2016-17, with an estimated requirement of Rs. 181.5 Crores for financial year 2017-18. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has been appointed as National Implementing Entity (NIE) under the NAFCC.

NABARD has been accredited by Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board as one of the National Implementing Entity (NIE) for GCF in India. According to the GCF Board document, NABARD as one of the NIEs of the Green Climate Fund is responsible for management and oversight of project implementation, which includes the origination and preparation of a funding proposal, the subsequent management of the necessary stages of the implementation process until its conclusion (project management) on behalf of GCF, and reporting obligations. Other institutions meeting the GCF requirements and standards have also applied for accreditation as NIE for GCF in India. This information was given by Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, in Lok Sabha today.

Clean Development Mechanism

The National Clean Development Mechanism Authority (NCDMA) has accorded Host Country Approval (HCA) to 2, 940 projects. These projects are in the sectors of energy efficiency, fuel switching, industrial processes, municipal solid waste, renewable energy and forestry which spread across the country (covering all states/UTs in India), out of which 1,578 projects from India have been registered under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The NCDMA receives projects for approval under the modalities and procedures of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as developed by the Executive Board of CDM of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It approves CDM projects that meet the national sustainable development priorities and comply with the statutory and regulatory frameworks.

The Government regularly undertakes capacity-building initiatives and supports CDM projects through workshops, seminars and other activities in collaboration with the industry associations and project proponents in the private and public sector. Several bilateral and multi-lateral funding agencies are also involved in the exercise. CDM Tool Kit was developed in 2007 to promote CDM activities. However, after the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ended in 2012, CDM market has been dormant due to lack of demand by developed countries. This information was given by Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, in Lok Sabha today.

Use of Clean Fuel

The Government is aware that imposing Bharat-IV norms across India and subsequent imposition of Bharat-V and/or VI norms will greatly help in providing a cleaner environment. The universalisation of Bharat Stage (BS)-IV norms will reduce sulphur content of the fuel to 50 ppm and the implementation of BS-V / BS-VI emission norms will further reduce the sulphur content to 10 ppm and will improve the ambient air quality. Presently BS-IV norms have been implemented in 63 cities covering 15 States including Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR).

The steps taken by the Government to expedite the process of transition to cleaner fuels in the country, inter alia, include:

• Introduction of emission standards for flex fuel ethanol (E 85) and ethanol (ED 95) vehicles by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways,

• Introduction of 5% ethanol gasoline fuel blends across the country by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG),

• Constitution of working group on bio-fuels and Hydrogen Corpus Fund by MoP&NG,

• Introduction of alternative fuels like CNG, LPG and bio-diesel (B20),

• Progressive tightening of the emission norms, along with supply of commensurate fuel quality

Endangered Species

India ranks among the top ten species rich nations in the world and is known for its rich biological diversity and high endemism. Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) under the Ministry carry out surveys and documentation of biological resources including threatened and important species of the country. Survey and exploration of different geographical areas of the country has resulted in a repository of about three million National Reference Collections of plant specimen.

The Indian flora accounts for about 11.4% of the total recorded plant species of the world. As per BSI, India has about 47, 791 species of plants comprising Virus/Bacteria (1, 071), Algae (7, 309), Fungi (14, 936), Lichens (2, 434), Bryophytes (2, 531), Pteridophytes (1, 274), Gymnosperms (77) and Angiosperms (18, 159) already identified and classified so far.

Studies conducted by ZSI have recorded over 96,000 species of animals from India. Among these, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed 18 species of amphibians, 14 fishes, 13 bird species and 10 mammals as critically endangered; 310 species as endangered, including 69 fishes, 38 mammals and 32 amphibians. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 has been enacted for protection of wild animals, birds and plants against hunting and commercial exploitation. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been empowered under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to apprehend and prosecute wildlife offenders. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has been set up for control of poaching and illegal trade in wildlife and its products. The National Biodiversity Act, 2002, also ensures protection of threatened plant species and their habitats. Under the provisions of Biodiversity Act 2002 the threatened species are identified state wise. MoEF has already issued notifications to this effect for 14 states viz., Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Orissa, Meghalaya, Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Tripura.

Production of Fruits and Vegetables

The details of major fruits and vegetables producing countries in the world and India’s position may be seen at Annexure-I.

The details of demand and production of fruits and vegetables during the last three years may be seen at Annexure-II.

The details of quantum of fruits and vegetables exported to foreign countries during the last two years are given at Annexure-III.

To boost the production and productivity of vegetables and fruits in the country Government is implementing Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH) including Uttarakhand and National Horticulture Mission (NHM) in the remaining states under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). These schemes provide support for production of planting material, high yield variety vegetable seed production, vegetable cultivation, rejuvenation of senile orchards, protected cultivation, creation of water resources, creation of infrastructure to prevent post harvest losses of horticultural crops and for adoption of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)/Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Annexure-I

Major Fruit Producing Countries in the World

Country	2013
Country	Production (Million Tonnes)
China	154.364
India	82.632
Brazil	37.774
USA	26.986
Spain	17.699
Mexico	17.553
Italy	16.371
Indonesia	16.003
Philippines	15.887
Turkey	15.341
Others	276.06
World total	676.67

Major Vegetables producing Countries in the World

Countries	2013
	Production (In Million tonnes)
China	583.32
India	121.02
USA	34.28
Mexico	13.24
Italy	13.05
Spain	12.7
Turkey	28.28
Iran	23.65
Russian Federation	15.49
Egypt	19.59
Others	271.07
World	1135.69

Source: FAOSTAT Website (http://faostat3.fao.org/home/E) as on 1st July 2015

Annexure-II

Demand and Production of Fruits and Vegetables during the Last Three Years

Year	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Total Demand (F & V) (‘000 tons)	222750.5	229707.1	235528.2	239794.9
Production (F &V) ('000 tons)	232749.0	243471.0	251874.0	257119.6 *
* Provisional
Source:
Production:- Department of Agriculture & Cooperation.
Demand: - NSSO Report No 541 66th Round Survey (July 2009 - June 2010)

Annexure-III

Export of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

		Qty. In Tonnes
Year	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Fresh Vegetables	2343881	2291751	2019342
Fresh Fruits	534619	525224	484373
Total	2878500	2816975	2503715

Source: APEDA website