NEW DELHI : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 1 lakh crore programme to increase food grain storage capacity by 700 lakh tonne in the cooperative sector. Anurag Singh Thakur, the minister of information and broadcasting, provided more information, stating that the nation currently has a grain storage capacity of roughly 1,450 lakh tonnes. The storage space will increase to 2,150 lakh tonnes over the following five years. In the cooperative sector, storage capacity will rise. According to Thakur, a 2,000-tonne capacity godown will be set up in each block of the proposed plan, calling it the “world’s largest foodgrain storage programme” in the cooperative sector. According to him, the initiative aims to lessen food grain deterioration caused by a shortage of storage facilities, assist in preventing farmer distress sales, lessen reliance on imports, and generate employment possibilities in rural India. More storage space, according to the ministry, will save farmers’ transportation expenses and improve food security. India produces over 3,100 lakh tonnes of food grains each year, but the godowns that are already in place can only hold 47% of the harvest.
