Pledge on food loss and waste in South Asia

For the seventh time, we organized a workshop in cooperation with the current G20 presidency as part of the Thünen-coordinated Collaboration Initiative Food Losses and Waste of the „Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists of G20 States“ (MACS-G20). After Berlin, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Riyadh, Italy and Yogyakarta, this time we were guests in New Delhi.

The target region of the International Workshop on Food Loss and Waste Prevention in South Asian Region included, in addition to India as the G20 Presidency country, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Our committed Indian partners from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) took over the official invitations and the organization on site. Colleagues from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) complemented the team.

In addition to building networks in the region, the aim of the workshop was also to identify common challenges and good examples from practice. From October 30th to November 3rd, 2023, a total of 120 participants from 7 countries discussed the focus on losses in primary production, food waste in households and communities as well as the role of the circular economy and social institutions. The contributers represented ministries, universities and other private and public research institutions, non-governmental organizations, social institutions, international organizations, consulting and waste management companies, regional authorities and food companies.

In the presence of the Indian Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Hon. Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, the traditional lighting of a lamp was celebrated as a prelude to successful joint activities in preventing losses and waste. A pledge read out by all participants that they would personally work to reduce losses and waste complemented the ceremonial start of the workshop.

Each of the technical themes of the workshop was outlined in short presentations before everyone present contributed to the discussion with their questions, comments and experiences. The range of topics included, among other things, work on reducing post-harvest losses, the development of sensors for optimal storage and packaging, optimisation in the cold chain, the use of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, the influence of cultural and social norms, and traditional indigenous knowledge in preservation, circular economy and valorisation of by-products. During the discussion phases and the breaks, valuable contacts were made and experiences were exchanged personally. The specialist excursion took us to the exemplary logistics of a parastatal company that supplies the Indian capital with fruit and vegetables - both fresh and processed in-house.

We would like to thank everyone involved very much for their valuable contributions. Further information about the workshop and its results can be found here very soon.

The next regional workshop on “food loss and waste” is planned in cooperation with Brazil, which will hold the G20 presidency in 2024.

Contact persons:

Stefan Lange, Thünen research coordinator
Felicitas Schneider, Thünen Institute of Market Analysis