Post Harvest Management Techniques of Few Selected Crops in Assam, India

Reducing agricultural loss or waste is the ultimate goal of post-harvest management techniques. Post-harvest management has become crucial in the present environment of growing population and declining agricultural land and other resources. Ensuring food security in a manner that is safe for both humans and the environment is currently the world's top priority. The FAO estimates that in order to feed the nine billion people on the planet by 2050, food production would need to rise by seventy percent. Therefore, a deep comprehension of the roles played by agro-ecosystems is necessary. A vast number of agricultural products has been produced in recent years, yet there has been a lack of advancement and uptake of post-harvest technologies, leading to significant post-harvest losses. Agricultural crops have 16–36% post-harvest losses each year due to microbiological, physiological, and mechanical losses. Because most products are highly perishable, they require much more care and strategies to ensure that value addition and processing are encouraged. The value chain for processing has become essential to enhancing national food security and promoting food safety. The value chain in agriculture crops post-harvest management includes pre-harvest variables, harvesting, market preparation (pre-cooling, sorting, grading, packaging, and on-farm storage), transportation, storage, value addition/processing, and by-product waste management. The chapter focuses mostly on few selected fruit, vegetable, and cereal crops while discussing current advancements in post-harvest technology and food crop value addition.