Shimla, July 2
Improper storage and negligence continues to damage foodgrain stock of the Food Corporation of India (FCI). In fact, it had about 14,000 tonnes of totally damaged rice, wheat and paddy, which could not be issued for distribution at the start of the year.

Komal Amit Gera / Chandigarh June 25, 2010, 0:07 IST

At a time the country is facing high food inflation, its bread basket is sitting on colossal wheat stocks. The stocks, to the tune of 12 million tonnes, lying in godowns and open spaces in Punjab are giving sleepless nights to the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Swarleen Kaur

Chandigarh: Haryana state agricultural marketing board has got a mixed response for its hi-tech vegetable and fruit management facilities at the commodity hubs-cum-wholesale markets in five cities, and will lease out these facilities here in about a month.

SMALL FARMERS WHO SUPPLY THE TUBER TO PEPSI HAVE BENEFITED A LOT
SUNIPA DAS GUPTA & ASHOK GULATI

Sanjeeb Mukherjee

No one in his wildest imagination would have thought that a state like Madhya Pradesh will become a wheat-surplus state. But, it is now a reality.

The government has said foodgrain was not wasted in the godowns of Food Corporation of India (FCI) due to lack of proper storage, transportation and upkeep during the last three years.

However, it admitted that some quantity of foodgrains with the Food Corporation of India in the Central Pool was damaged and had become non-issuable due to reasons like cyclones and floods.

A move that may help check the rotting of wheat and paddy stock kept in the open due to paucity of covered space in Punjab and Haryana, the Food Corporation of India has decided to create 112 lakh metric tonne of additional storage capacity in these two states.

As many as 28590 tonnes of wheat was procured from eleven grain markets in Mohali district till Thursday evening.

With the objective of meeting the needs of agriculturists, the State government would soon come out with an order to help set up agro-based industries including cold storage and food processing units on a five acre land.