Punjab: Wheat to be procured in the upcoming season will be stored in “Covered and Plinth” (CAP) storage, as the godowns will continue to be used to store rice currently being milled. Food Corporation of India has already issued tenders to acquire space to store 35 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of produce, so that it can be converted into CAP storage. Bids have been received for converting 5 LMT space into CAP storage, forcing the central agency to invite bids again to acquire 30 LMT space before April. This CAP storage is being built in addition to the already existing CAP storage of 40 LMT in the state, where wheat will be stored from April. During the 2024-25 wheat marketing season, when the wheat will be harvested, 125 LMT wheat is expected to arrive in the mandis for procurement. Since dehusked rice from paddy procured in 2024 and being delivered now will be stored in godowns, there will be less space for storing wheat in godowns.
B Srinivasan, regional general manager, FCI, Punjab, said, “We are adding 12 LMT new silo storage for wheat in Punjab. We are confident that 50 per cent of that capacity (6 LMT) will be available for storing this year’s wheat. 20 LMT wheat will be transported directly from the mandis to the recipient states. We are also renting 25 LMT space from state procurement agencies for wheat, while new wheat storage capacity of 20 LMT will become operational in the state next year under the Private Entrepreneur Guarantee Scheme. This will allow us to store wheat in these godowns.” FCI officials said the movement of rice stored in godowns is also being expedited. About 38 LMT rice has already been dispatched to other rice consuming states, while another 10 LMT is expected to be dispatched by the end of this month. By the end of March, about 70 LMT of rice would have been dispatched from Punjab. But the space thus created will be used to store rice that is still being milled. Since paddy milling began last month, 13.5 LMT of rice has already been milled and delivered.
