Grain Storage Project Progress: Pilot Launched in 11 States

New Delhi, Jun 3 (PTI) The National Level Coordination Committee (NLCC) for India's ambitious grain storage project, chaired by Cooperation Secretary Ashish Kumar Bhutani, held its inaugural meeting here on Monday and reviewed the progress of the pilot project launched last year in 11 states.

The intiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Cooperation, aims to create a decentralised network of warehouses and other agricultural infrastructure at the Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) level across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, the Cooperation Secretary said this is one of most ambitious projects undertaken by the government, envisaging creation of warehouses at a decentralized level for nationwide rollout, an official statement said.

Implemented by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), with support from NABARD and FCI, the pilot project is now being extended to an additional 500 PACS.

The plan leverages existing government schemes such as the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) and Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMI) to establish facilities including warehouses, custom hiring centres, processing units and fair price shops. States, Union Territories, and national cooperatives like NCCF and NAFED have identified more PACS for storage capacity creation under the project, the statement said.

The committee also discussed strategies for nationwide expansion and potential godown linkages with stakeholders, it added. Secretaries from key ministries, including Agriculture, Food and Public Distribution, and Food Processing Industries, along with heads of FCI, NABARD, and WDRA, were present.