Transparency in Tenders for Enhancing Grain Storage Capacity, says Govt

Union Food and Public Distribution Minister Prahlad Joshi emphasized the government's commitment to transparency in the enhancement of grain storage capacity, during a session in the Lok Sabha. Responding to questions raised by Sudip Bandyopadhyay regarding the sufficiency of storage at Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns and the role of private entities, Joshi assured that tenders for increasing grain storage capacity are awarded through a transparent, online process- a system adopted by many states.

Joshi reported that India's total grain storage capacity stands at 837.68 lakh metric tons (LMT), with 650-700 LMT of food grains typically stored. "There is no shortage of storage capacity today," he stated, addressing concerns about potential storage deficiencies, and noting that this issue had been resolved since earlier times.

He highlighted significant improvements in the reduction of wastage at FCI godowns, with rice wastage dropping from 0.39% in 2014 to 0.07% currently, and wheat transit losses decreasing from 0.35% in 2013-14 to 0.14% now.

Additionally, Joshi outlined the government's plans under the hub-and-spoke model, which includes creating a silo capacity of 34.87 LMT across 80 locations. Of this, 10.125 LMT will be developed at 14 sites under the Design, Build, Finance, Fund, Own (DBFFO) mode on FCI land, while 24.7 LMT will be constructed at 66 locations on private land under the same mode.

The minister reiterated that FCI is continuously working to minimize wastage and maintain the quality of food grains, ensuring that the nation's food storage infrastructure is robust and efficient.