The estimated economic value of post-harvest losses in India was INR 926.51 billion (USD 15.19 billion) in 2014. While this is an underestimation of overall food loss and waste in India, India ranks only 94th out of 107 countries on the 2020 Global Hunger Index. Any amount of food loss and waste is a wasted opportunity to increase food availability, improve income, easing pressure on land and water resources, and reducing GHGs.

The lack of a standard metric for measuring food loss and waste means that existing estimates are not comparable. This makes it impossible to present consistent information on hotspots or critical loss points and to build systematic evidence for prioritizing action and resource allocation for decision-makers. Without a standard and systematic research approach, it is difficult to build systematic evidence for prioritizing action.

As food supply chains cut across state boundaries, this demands overall intervention by the Union Government of India. Agri-logistics and post-harvest management in India are not the responsibility of any one dedicated ministry or government department. This, combined with lack of data, can result in fragmented approaches.