Over the years, lack of agricultural storage capacity has led to the wastage of large quantities of food grains throughout the country which leads to farmers being forced to sell their crops at low prices. To counter this and to bolster the grain storage capacities, ‘World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector’ has been running in 24 states/ UTs of India.
The marquee project aims to create various agri infrastructures at the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) level, which will include Warehouses, Custom Hiring Centers, PUs, and Fair Price Shops among others. With this decision, farmers will now get modern grain storage facilities at the block level through PACS, which will strengthen food security, and empower the farmers by enabling them to realize better crop prices.
Boosting India’s Agricultural Sector
The project is being implemented by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) in collaboration with NABARD, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), and Food Corporation of India (FCI) in 24 PACS of 24 different States/ UTs. The construction has already been started at five PACS, one each in the States of Tripura, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
It is noteworthy that the farmers will able to store their produce in these godowns and they can avail bridge finance for the next cycle of crop and sell the produce at a time of their choice, or sell their whole crop to the PACS at MSP, which would enable them to avoid distress sale. Through the PACS network, the farmers will be able to get various agri inputs and services at the Panchayat/ village level. Further, through diversification of business, the farmers could get additional sources of income.
Why Storage Grain Project is important?
With limited arable land and a rapidly growing population in India, the need for a robust network of food grain storage facilities becomes essential. Further, India runs the world’s largest food programme under the National Food Security Act 2013, which covers around 81 crore people. Therefore, to ensure the food security of a huge population, a robust network of food grain storage facilities becomes imperative.
With decentralised storage capacities ranging from 500 MT to 2,000 MT. These initiatives will not only bolster food security but also empower farmers, paving the way for a prosperous future in agriculture.