Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the pilot project of what is poised to become the ‘world’s largest grain storage plan’ over the next five years ensuring creation of storage facilities across the country capable of accommodating more than 700 lakh metric tonnes of food grains.
The aim is to mitigate post-harvest losses and ensure a reliable supply of grains, even during periods of scarcity. By fortifying the nation’s food storage infrastructure, India is better equipped to address the nutritional needs of its growing population, said the Prime Minister after inaugurating the pilot projects under the mega storage plan being carried out in 11 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in as many States.
To build this mega infrastructure, over Rs 1.25 lakh crore will be spent in the coming years, Modi said, who also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple key initiatives for the Cooperative sector here at an event. The project is being executed with a collaborative effort supported by NABARD and spearheaded by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), an autonomous body providing financial and technical support to cooperative institutions of farmers and other weaker sections across the country.
The Prime Minister said that the storage facilities at various locations across the country would enable farmers to store their produce and sell it at the right time according to their own needs while also helping to avail loans from banks.
Laying the foundation stone for an additional 500 PACS across the country for the construction of godowns and other agricultural infrastructure, he said the initiative aims to seamlessly integrate PACS godowns with the food grain supply chain, fortifying food security and fostering economic development in the country.
On the occasion, Modi also inaugurated the project for computerization in 18,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) across the country aimed to empower the small and marginal farmers.
Giving the example of Farmers Producers Organisation (FPOs), the Prime Minister noted the growing entrepreneurship among the small farmers in villages. He said due to having a separate Ministry, 8000 FPOs out of a target of 10,000 FPOs are already functional in the country. The benefits of cooperatives are now reaching fishermen and pushupalaks also. More than 25,000 cooperative units are functional in the fishery sector. The Prime Minister reiterated the government’s goal of establishing 200,000 cooperative societies in the coming years.
He said that PACS are functioning as Jan Aushadhi Kendras while thousands of PM Kisan Samruddhi Kendras are also being operated. He also mentioned cooperative committees operating in the areas of petrol, diesel, and LPG cylinders while PACS also plays the role of water committees in several villages. This, the Prime Minister said, has increased the productivity of loan committees and also created new sources of income.
