Pakistan May Lose Up to Rs 3.52 Trillion in Post-Harvest Crops

Pakistan loses an estimated 20% to 40% of its crops after harvest. The post-harvest bill attached to that range is a potential loss of up to Rs 3.52 trillion.

In this article we set out the storage gap Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu used to explain the loss. Here is everything you need to know.

Why post-harvest losses are tied to storage

SECP Chairman Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu highlighted the issue and pointed to limited storage facilities and weaknesses in the agricultural supply chain. Pakistan's approved warehouse capacity is 326,000 metric tons. The estimate for storable dry agricultural commodities is 55.7 million metric tons.

The account says modern storage and better transport systems could help reduce the losses. It does not split the 20% to 40% by crop, and it does not price one percentage point on its own.

Why it matters

A warehouse system of 326,000 metric tons against 55.7 million metric tons of storable dry commodities is a gap of orders of magnitude. That is the concrete comparison in this account. The rupee figure is a potential loss, not a sum already counted in one year.

• The loss range is an estimated 20% to 40% of crops
• The potential value is up to Rs 3.52 trillion
• The speaker is SECP Chairman Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu
• Storage and the supply chain are the weaknesses he named
• Approved warehouse capacity is 326,000 metric tons
• Storable dry commodities are estimated at 55.7 million metric tons

What this estimate does not include

1. A breakdown by crop.
2. A value for each percentage point of loss.
3. A funded storage plan.
4. A date by which the 326,000 metric tons would grow.

What happens next

A crop-by-crop split, or a storage programme with a capacity target, would turn the estimate into a plan. We will update this article if either is published.

Our verdict

Pakistan's post-harvest losses are estimated at 20% to 40% of crops, potentially up to Rs 3.52 trillion. Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu tied that to weak storage and a weak supply chain. Approved warehouses hold 326,000 metric tons against an estimated 55.7 million metric tons of storable dry commodities.

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