State faces storage blues as foodgrain stock piles up

CHANDIGARH:WITH the movement of wheat and rice from Punjab for the public distribution system across the country touching an all-time low of 17 lakh tonnes a month, the foodgrain stock is piling up in the state’s godowns.

Officials are predicting a tough time ahead as rice of the kharif season will start arriving, followed by the wheat harvest in April-may.

As per figures of the state food and civil supplies department and the Food Corporation of India (FCI), 145 lakh tonne foodgrain (85 lakh tonne wheat and 60 lakh tonne rice) is stored in the state’s godowns. The storage could meet the entire country’s foodgrain requirement of four months.

The FCI is attributing the slow movement of wheat and rice outside the state to lack of demand from the consuming states and strike by the railways’ employees and its own staff.

“The movement of grains needs to get faster so as to make things easier to store rice of the passing by kharif season and wheat of forthcoming rabi harvest in April month,” said a FCI official requesting anonymity.

As per the January 1 figures, 8 lakh tonne wheat and 9 lakh tonne rice is moving out of the state on the monthly basis.

“We have repeatedly written to the Centre to move more grain outside Punjab,” principal secretary (food and civil supplies) KAP Sinha told HT.

“The state will fall short of space for storing wheat and rice. Wheat is even bigger a problem for us since it is our liability till the time it is moved out of our godowns. Rice, however, is the FCI’S responsibility,” he said.

Last month, the state agencies and FCI disposed of 70,000 lakh tonne wheat as losses incurred by Punjab government. Currently, 26 lakh tonne wheat is stored on the plinths kept in the open.

Of the 169 lakh tonne paddy procured in the last season, 113 lakh tonne rice arrival is expected.

80 LAKH TONNE WHEAT TO BE KEPT IN OPEN AFTER RABI SEASON IF STORAGE ISSUE

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