Grains brim Punjab godowns, agencies battle space crunch
With 192 lakh tonnes foodgrains already stored in state, there is no space to keep around 185 lakh tonnes of paddy which will start arriving in mandis from Oct 1
With godowns in Punjab full to the brim, bumper paddy crop may spell trouble for the state agencies. Piles of wheat and paddy stored in the state’s godowns have become a cause of worry for the state and central procurement agencies as there is literally no space to store more grain. Paddy procurement in Punjab starts from October 1.
The state agriculture department has predicted a bumper paddy yield — around 185 lakh tonnes — this kharif season.
A total of 192 lakh tonnes of foodgrains — 125 lakh tonne rice, 60 lakh tonne wheat and 7 lakh tonne paddy — from the previous seasons is still stored in the godowns of four state procurement agencies and the centre’s Food Corporation of India in Punjab.
Experts say it will be a challenge for the state food and civil supplies department to move foodgrain stocks to consumer states in August and September to make space of storing freshly procured paddy. Owing to huge legacy stock, predictions are for a glut-like situation when the paddy procurement season starts in October.
The state has a storage capacity of 172 lakh tonnes of foodgrains — including seven lakh tonnes in silos and 165 lakh tonnes in covered godowns. Besides, there is an arrangement of about 40 lakh tonnes over the covered area plinths (CAP) storage, where the grain is stores in open raised plinths which are covered with tarpaulin, said an official of the food and civil supplies department.
Of the total stocks, 14 lakh tonne of wheat is stored in the open and about 7 lakh tonnes of paddy is stored with rice millers waiting to be shelled, which would add 4.66 lakh tonnes more rice in the stocks.
“We are making efforts to move stocks to consumer states. It is expected to pick up pace in September,” said an official of the food and supplies department.
The stock movement from the state has slowed down to the consumer states, including Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Telangana, this season as these states have started procuring foodgrains locally, said an official familiar with the matter.
Director, food and civil supplies, Puneet Goyal said 15 goods trains — five rakes of rice and 10 rakes of wheat — carry foodgrains out of the state every day. “A total of 55,000 tonnes of foodgrain is being moved out from the state every day. We hope to send the entire wheat stock by December,” he added. The Punjab government has also urged the Union minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution for fast movement of foodgrains from the state.