Reducing Postharvest Losses
In the OIC Member Countries
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This analysis of postharvest losses in the OIC Member Countries was conducted by a team from
the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich between January and July 2016.
The report aims to provide analysis that can contribute to reduce postharvest losses in OIC
Member Countries. It does this through review of the current situation, identification of
approaches and practices, and policy recommendation for future investments.
The analysis is on postharvest losses, defined by COMCEC as food damage or degradation of
food during different stages of the food supply chain. We interpret this as those losses that are
incurred between the farm-gate and prior to retail and consumption.
The method used was a combination of brief literature review, an on-line survey of key
informants in OIC Member Countries, and a series of commodity specific case studies that
included three field visits.
The scope of the study included all OIC Member Countries, all three official Regional Groups of
OIC Member Countries (African, Asian and Arab), and commodity representation from seven
commodity groups. Field visits were conducted in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Oman.
In Chapter 1 a conceptual framework is developed from our knowledge of the literature and
the challenges and complexities of measuring postharvest losses considered.
Chapter 2 summarises the literature available on the commodities under study and the 57 OIC
Member Countries. The commonly cited overall postharvest loss figure (which includes on-
farm and consumer levels not considered here) is 32% (FAO), with higher assessment for
perishables such as fruit & vegetables (40-50%), and lower losses for durables (e.g. 20-30%
for cereals). This section highlights the wide range literature and its depth of analysis. Some
commodities and countries are well covered (e.g. maize in Sub-Saharan Africa), but most are
poorly analysed in existing research, with some serious knowledge gaps identified (e.g., some
countries with little or no literature, other commodities under researched).
The results of the on-line survey and the case studies are discussed in Chapters 3 and 4 and the
causes and consequences of postharvest losses emerging from the analysis reviewed in
Chapter 5. The summary of global physical and economic losses vs OIC Member Country losses
are summarised in the tables below.
Summary of physical losses for commodity groups in the world and OIC Member Countries
Postharvest loss Global Literature
review
Online
survey
Case/Field study
Cereals 12-15% 9-31% 10-25% 16-48%
Root and Tuber
crops
22-34% 7-50% 12-40% 7-25%
Oilseeds and Pulses 10-18% no data no data 14%
Fruit and
Vegetables
15-38% 10-60% 5-65% 3-40%
Meat and Meat
products
11-12% 6% no data 25-40%
Milk and Dairy
products
2-19% 2-27% 30% 6-21%
Fish and 16-25% no data 50% 3-50%
Source: Authors own analysis.