An Estimation of Seed Feed Ratios and Waste Allowance for Major Pulse Crop in Maharashtra

There are many sources of leakage between production and consumption of food grains that not only include wastage of grains during various post-harvest operations but also at the stage of harvesting. The losses of grain may also occur due to destruction by pests, in transportation, and also on account of damage caused by mechanical agents such as birds, rains, shattering in the fields during harvesting, rodents, etc. The past estimates revealed that about 12.5 per cent of the total production of food grain crop was lost on account of quantity used for seed and feed as well as wastage allowances during various harvest and post-harvest operations. However, this estimate was re-assessed in the present investigation carried out in Maharashtra with respect to major pulse crop, which revealed around 11.5 per cent of the total production of rabi gram as lost on account of seed, feed and wastage allowances in the State. This is an indication of the fact that there has been some scope of making more quantum of pulses available to the ever-growing human population as the net availability works out at 88.5 per cent of the total production of rabi gram cultivated in the state of Maharashtra. The study emphasizes on the fact that as far as the future supply scenario is concerned, food security will become the major issue for India in the years to come in view of several constraints faced on account of further increase in food production, resource degradation, expansion of irrigation network, etc.