The Indian government, through the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS), is spearheading a significant initiative to bolster the country’s grain storage capacity. The “World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector” aims to construct godowns at the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) level.
Key Highlights of the Pilot Project
The pilot project has successfully constructed 11 godowns in 11 states: Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Telangana, Tripura, and Rajasthan.
These godowns offer a combined storage capacity of 9,750 metric tonnes. Some have been retained by PACS for their own use, while others have been leased to state or central agencies for storage needs.
The success of the pilot project has led to its expansion, with over 500 additional PACS identified for godown construction.
The government is providing financial support to PACS through various schemes:
- Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF): Offers 3% interest subvention on loans up to Rs. 2 crore for a 7-year repayment period.
- Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMI): Provides 33.33% subsidy for construction of storage units and reduces margin money requirements for PACS.
