(a) whether it is a fact that to meet the shortage of covered storage the Government has come out with a guarantee scheme for construction of godowns with private participation, if so, the details thereof; and
(b) whether it is also true that the Government was able to meet the shortage of covered storage space with the said programme, if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRI DANVE RAOSAHEB DADARAO)
(a) to (b): Against total stocks of 741.41 LMT (as on 01.06.2019), the total storage capacity available with Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and the State Agencies (both owned and hired capacity), is 862.45 LMT (as on 31.05.2019) comprising 739.76 LMT in covered godowns and 122.69 LMT in Cover and Plinth (CAP) storage. As such, there is sufficient capacity for storage of central pool foodgrains at the national level.
However, depending on requirement in specific areas and for modernization of storage facilities, Government implements the following schemes with private participation for construction of godowns and silos in the country for central pool stock of foodgrains:-
i. Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme: Under this Scheme, which was formulated in 2008, storage capacity is created by private parties, CWC and State Government Agencies for guaranteed hiring by FCI. A capacity of 142.62 Lakh MT (LMT) has been created as on 31.05.2019. Under this scheme, no funds are allocated by Government for construction of godowns and full investment is done by the private parties/CWC/State Agencies. After a godown is constructed and taken over by FCI, storage charges are paid to the investor for the guaranteed period of 9/10 years irrespective of the quantum of foodgrains stored.
ii. Construction of Steel Silos: In addition to conventional godowns, Government of India has also approved an action plan for construction of steel silos in the country for a capacity of 100 LMT in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode for modernizing storage infrastructure and improving shelf life of stored foodgrains. Against this, as on 31.05.2019, steel silos of 6.75 LMT capacity have been created. The Concession period for silos constructed under non-Viability Gap Funding (non-VGF) model is 32 years, while in case of Viability Gap Funding model it is 30 years for wheat silos and is 31.5 years for composite silos (wheat and rice).
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