Financial impact

The economic impacts of postharvest losses are multiple, diverse and complex. They include reduced productivity (with regards to quantity and quality), trading costs (and reduced opportunities to trade), the associated food and nutritional insecurity and safety aspects, and environmental costs.

Here we are simply presenting the financial value of the quantity of the focal crop lost postharvest in terms of the following metrics:

• What % of the focal country’s national agricultural GDP the financial value of the focal crop lost postharvest is equivalent to
• What % of the focal country’s national GDP it is equivalent to

Use the selectors at the top of the page to view the financial impact:

• By country for all crops
• By country, by crop, for all years
• By country, crop and specific year and value chain step
• For all countries by specific crop and year

Financial value of postharvest loss (FPHL) was calculated by multiplying the quantity of the focal crop lost postharvest (dry weight loss (t)) by the market price of the focal crop.

Dry weight loss (t) (the quantity of the focal crop lost postharvest) is taken from APHLIS [Source: APHLIS database, 2019]

Market price data (dollars/ tonne) for each focal crop and country was obtained from the FAOGIEWS FPMA database [Market price data source: FAO, 2019. Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool]. Details of the market price are provided to show whether the available price data was wholesale or retail, and from which market in the country it was obtained, for consistency, data from the capital city’s market was primarily used. The FPMA database does not include data for the full range of crops and countries represented in APHLIS. If countries have market price datasets they would like to be included to increase the crop coverage, they should contact the APHLIS team on info@aphlis.net

Impact on GDP

FPHL as % of national agricultural GDP: this column of data shows what percentage of the national agricultural GDP the FPHL value is equivalent to, it is calculated by dividing the FPHL value (current US) by the agricultural GDP value (current US$) and multiplying by 100.

Agricultural GDP: Agricultural GDP (current US$) data for each country and year combination was obtained from the World Bank databank [Source: World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files. 20/03/2021. ID: NV.AGR.TOTL.CD]

FPHL as % of national GDP: this column of data shows what percentage of the national GDP the FPHL value is equivalent to, it is calculated by dividing the FPHL value (current US) by the national GDP value (current US$) and multiplying by 100.

National GDP: National GDP (current US$) data for each country and year combination was obtained from the World Bank databank [Source: World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files. 20/03/2021. ID: NY.GDP.MKTP.CD]