Copyright: Sinograin Chengdu Storage Research Institute

From August 27th to September 26th, 2024, the WFP Centre of Excellence for Rural Transformation (WFP China COE) organized a comprehensive series of webinars on post-harvest loss reduction, with the support of the Academy of China’s National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration (NAFRA).

Post-harvest loss (PHL) is recognized as one of key contributors to food insecurity. These losses range from 17% for durable commodities to over 50% for perishable commodities such as fruits, vegetables, roots, and tubers. The value of lost grain is estimated to be up to USD60 billion, and these grain losses in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asian countries could meet the annual food or dietary requirements for several million people. Substantial post-harvest grain losses exacerbate the pressure on global food production, given the growing population and deteriorating climate change.

China has made significant progress in addressing post-harvest loss reduction in recent years through various proactive measures. Investments in modern storage equipment and facilities, the adoption of advanced technologies for post-harvest handling and innovative equipment for food processing have played a crucial role in reducing post-harvest loss. Grain storage losses in China's grain depots have been largely eliminated, with the overall loss rate controlled within 1% during the grain storage period. Additionally, the grain storage loss rate of Chinese farmers has dropped from 8% a decade ago to around 3% now.

The objective of this series of webinars is to share China’s extensive experience, technologies, and practices in reducing post-harvest loss. Across two modules, a total of 16 Chinese presenters showcased China’s experience and practices in post-harvest management, with a focus on grain reserves and storage management, post-harvest service systems, and standards frameworks. Furthermore, they also demonstrated China’s technologies and practices for grain post-harvest handling by aggregators at various stages of the post-harvest management process.

You can access the 16 presentations by clicking on the provided links for each session in the table below.