Question : STORAGE FACILITIES

(a) whether the Government has made any assessment regarding the damage to foodgrains due to poor and inadequate storage and need for creation of fresh storage space;

(b) if so, the details and the outcome thereof indicating total quantity of foodgrains produced, procured and damaged along with the requirement, availability and the extent of unutilised storage space, during each of the last three years and the current year, State-wise;

(c) whether proposals/requests have been received from the States for creation of fresh storage capacity and if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon; and

(d) the other steps taken for proper maintenance of godowns to ensure safe storage of foodgrains during the ensuing Rabi season?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI RAOSAHEB PATIL DANVE)

(a) & (b) No, Madam. There is a sufficient storage capacity for storing central pool foodgrains. The storage capacity available with FCI and State agencies is 711.16 lakh tons against the stock position of 355.60 lakh ton as on 31.1.2015. However, some quantity of foodgrains may get damaged /become non-issuable during storage due to various reasons such as storage pests attack, leakages in godowns, procurement of poor quality stocks, spillage during movement and handling of foodgrains, exposure to rains, floods, negligence on the part of concerned persons in taking precautionary measures etc.

Details of production and procurement of wheat, rice and foodgrains accrued as damaged /non-issuable are at Annex-I, II & III respectively. Details of State-wise storage capacity available with FCI and its utilization during the last three years is at Annex- IV, V, VI & VII.

(c): No proposals have been received. To meet additional requirement of storage in deficit areas, a capacity of 292730 tons in North-East Region (Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh) including Sikkim and 76220 tons in the areas other than North-Eastern Region i.e. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Kerala and Lakshdweep (UT) has been approved under 12th Five Year Plan. A total of 49,9120 tons of storage capacity has been constructed by 31.1.2015. To further augment covered storage capacity in the country, Government has formulated Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme for construction of storage capacities through Private Entrepreneurs, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), State Warehousing Corporations

(SWCs) and State agencies. Under this scheme, a capacity of 202.22 lakh ton has been approved for construction at various locations in 20 States. Out of this, a capacity of 122.88 lakh ton in the form of conventional godowns has been completed upto 31.1.2015.

(d): It has been decided by the Government that the stocks stored temporarily in the Cover and Plinth (CAP) storage are to be liquidated first to avoid any damage. Apart from regular monitoring of proper maintenance of godown as per the specified guidelines, training programmes for FCI, CWC and State Governments officials engaged in procurement, storage and distribution of foodgrains are organized by Quality Control Cells, Indian Grain Storage Management and Research Institute (IGMRI), Hapur and Food Security Institute (FSI) Gurgaon.