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But India's share in international food trade is negligible. India accounts for less than 1.5% of international food trade. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the agricultural sector is largely unorganized, dominated by small farms (in all 100 million, with farm size of less than 1.2 hectares divided into 3-10 separate plots), which constrains productivity levels or yield per hectare. Secondly, very little of the food that is produced is processed thanks to the food processing industry also being largely unorganized. Small players, which process less than 0.5 tons/day and aggregating around 9,000 units, account for bulk (~75%) of processed food output. Thirdly, the value of wastages in food grains and fruits & vegetables is estimated at over Rs50,000 crore, as the food chain from the farmer to the consumer involves several intermediaries with multiple-point handling and long transit periods. And this in turn increases the cost differential between the mandi (wholesale) price and the market price to 60-100% or more. Fourthly, with government funding to the sector proving grossly inadequate and liberalization withheld, capital formation saw a negative growth.

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