Parliament Question: Foodgrain Storage Capacity

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS. FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4147 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18TH MARCH, 2026 FOODGRAIN STORAGE CAPACITY

4147. SMT. SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRI BHASKAR MURLIDHAR BHAGARE :

SHRI MOHITE PATIL DHAIRYASHEEL RAJSINH:

DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:

PROF. VARSH A EKNATH GAIKWAD:

SHRI SANJAY DINA PATIL:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

be pleased to state:

(a): whether the Government has conducted any recent gap analysis offoodgrain storage capacity in Maharashtra, particularly in drought-prone, tribal and flood-affected districts;

(b): the availability of covered Cover and Plinth (CAP) and silo-based storage capacity with the Food Corporation of India (FCI), State agencies and cooperatives in Maharashtra, district-wise;

(c): whether instances of excessive reliance on open or temporary storage, leading to quality deterioration, transit losses or delayed procurement operations have been reported in the said State and if so, the details thereof;

(d) : whether regional imbalances exist between procurement volumes and storage infrastructure in Maharashtra; and

(e): the details of the time-bound measures proposed by the Government to expand scientific warehousing, modern silos, decentralised storage at block level and public–private partnerships to reduce wastage and improve food security in Maharashtra? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

(a): The Government, through Food Corporation of India (FCI), has undertaken an assessment of foodgrain storage capacity across country, including Maharashtra, to examine the gap between available storage infrastructure and storage requirements in view of the evolving procurement and offtake scenario.

The assessment is carried out on the basis of factors such as procurement trends, offtake under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and other welfare schemes, stock holding norms, and regionallogistics requirements. The analysis also takes into account district-level demand patterns, including high-turnover and deficit areas.

(b) & (c): As on 01.02.2026, total Storage Capacity available with FCI and State agencies throughout the country for storage of Central Pool foodgrains stock is 945.84 LMT. Wherein, 25.97 LMT storage capacity available in Maharashtra including 0.5 LMT Silo storage at Navi Mumbai.

Currently there is no CAP (open or temporary) storage capacity in Maharashtra. Food grains are stored in covered in scientific storage facilities i. e. godowns and silos.

(d) & (e): The requirement of Storage capacity in FCI depends upon the level of procurement, requirement of buffer norms and PDS operations for Rice and Wheat mainly. FCI continuously assesses and monitors the storage capacity and based on the storage gap assessment, storage capacities are created/hired through following schemes:- PEG Scheme 2008/09 in PPP Mode: Under the PEG Scheme, construction of conventional godowns has been undertaken in 24 States by attracting private investment. PEG Scheme was initiated in 2008. Total capacity sanctioned for godowns as on 01.02.2026 is 151.58 LMT. Out of this, 148.61 LMT has been completed.

Modified PEG Scheme for NE and Hilly States in PPP Mode: For creation of new capacities in North Eastern/ Hilly states, suitable modifications were made in the PEG Scheme to attract investors to North Eastern/Hilly states. Total 4.32 LMT capacity is assessed to be created under this scheme.

Construction of Silos in PPP Mode: To improve operational efficiency in storage of food grains with the participation of private sector, and to upgrade and modernize the storage facilities, Government of India has approved construction of Steel Silos for bulk storage of food grains across the country under PPP mode.

Accordingly, Silos at 57 locations with capacity 32.25 Lakh MT are functional (as on

01.02.2026).

Asset Monetization: Under this scheme, additional capacity is created on FCI’s owned existing depots in PPP mode. Total 58,950 MT capacity has been taken over as on 01.02.2026.

Hiring of godo\yn from CWC/ SWCs/ State Agencies/ Private parties: FCI hires storage capacity from CWC, SWCs, State Agencies and Private Parties (under PWS scheme) as per the requirement.

Furthermore, the godowns are constructed by FCI in accordance with the BIS standards, CPWD specifications and manuals issued by CPWD for ensuring uniformity, safety and compliance with established engineering practices.The Government has also undertaken the following initiatives to expand scientific warehousing and modern silos

Smart Warehouse Project: The Government is in the process of converting its 150 owned Depots to smart warehouses on pilot basis. Under this project, traditional depots are proposed to be converted to smart warehouses which are equipped with different sensors like smoke sensors, fire sensors & gate opening sensor etc. for monitoring key parameters such as CC)2, phosphine levels, fire hazards, humidity, unauthorized entry and temperature on real time basis.

This initiative is to ensure real-time visibility, timely intervention, data-driven decision- making & standardized operations across all depots contributing to ensure safe, secure, and efficient food grain storage and distribution.

Depot Darpan Portal: Depot Darpan Portal is a digital platform launched by DFPD to enhance the monitoring, transparency and efficiency of food-grain storage depots & warehouses under PDS.

Key features and purpose of Depot Darpan: a. Depot/warehouse managers upload geo-tagged data regarding infrastructure, operations, and financial performance of the depot. b. Portal uses a composite scoring system, assessing depots on two broad categories:

infrastructure (safety, storage conditions, technology use, compliance) and operational parameters (stock turnover, losses, space utilisation, manpower costs etc.). c. Based on the scores, each depot receives a star rating, which is meant to provide a quick assessment of depot performance.

d. Validation of data is built into the process via 100% supervisory officer verification and some random third-party audits to ensure reliability. e. All the FCI's owned and hired warehouses are covered under Depot Darpan portal.

Anna (:hakra" Inter-state Route optimization tool:- Inter-state movement optimization has been undertaken to streamline and enhance the interstate movement operations offoodgrains, primarily by rail, undertaken by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). These movements are planned to meet Public Distribution System (PDS) requirements in consuming states while simultaneously managing storage space in procuring or surplus regions.

The daily planning and execution of these operations is carried out by FCI using the tool developed for this purpose.CCTV and loT technologies:-

This technologies transform depot operations by ensuring: - I. Real-time visibility II. Timely intervention III. Data-driven decision-making ScIcSe qc RSc