Punjab wakes up to its rotting foodgrains

To begin with,damaged stocks are being separated from the previous years’ stock of wheat by the Punjab Food and Civil Supply Department. The data on year of procurement and the condition of stocks once compiled will be entered into the department’s website.

Punjab Food and Civil Supply Director D S Grewal said: “This would ensure priority movement of stocks as per their condition and procurement year. As and when stocks are moved out of the state by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the public distribution system (PDS),field officials of the area would enter the details in the website. Thus,the entire information on the position of stocks in the state will just be a click away.”

Apart from creating a repository of information,the department is also trying to ensure better supervision of stocks. After a gap of 33 years,recruitment for posts of food inspectors have been opened and nearly 915 young inspectors would be appointed through a competitive examination. Grewal added: “Till now,one inspector was looking after several storage points. Fresh recruitment will ensure reduced workload,and therefore,will enhance the supervision of stocks.”

The FCI,under directions from the Union Food Ministry,would also create additional storage space in Punjab. Under the new warehousing policy,more scientific warehouses are to be constructed to add nearly 72 lakh metric tonnes of covered storage space in the state. Rentals for those hired from private traders have also been hiked. At present,the total storage capacity — covered and open plinths — is 170 lakh MT,out of which just 54 lakh MT is covered.

There is an acute shortage of 50 lakh MT space after every wheat procurement season. The department had again this year created temporary storage space of 30 lakh MT in sugar mills,industrial focal points,rice mills and mandi yards for stocks to be moved out on priority basis. With both production and procurement targets falling short of targets,the need for additional temporary storage stands reduced by half,Grewal said.

Nearly 14 lakh tonnes of foodgrain have been declared as damaged in the last 10 years (1998-2008) by the state’s five procurement agencies and the Food Corporation of India,Punjab. While 5.79 lakh tonnes of wheat,rice and paddy lying with Punjab FCI have been damaged in the last 10 years,a higher 7.56 lakh tonnes of wheat has rotted in custody of the state procurement agencies.

The storage woes are mainly for wheat though a higher amount of paddy is procured by Punjab during the kharif season. This is because paddy,unlike wheat,is stored by rice shellers in their mills and delivered to the FCI directly. Since rice cannot be stored in the open,more than half of the wheat procured every year lands up on open plinths constructed along roadsides,mandi yards and fields.