Lok Sabha Question No. 2695 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-05
Subject: Decentralized Storage Capacity for Foodgrains
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Narayan Tatu Rane

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2695 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 05 TH  AUGUST, 2025

## DECENTRALIZED STORAGE CAPACITY FOR FOODGRAINS

2695. SHRI NARAYAN TATU RANE:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of number of Cold Storages in the country, State-wise, particularly in Maharashtra;
- (b) the  steps  take  to  increase  and  to  modernize  the  storage  capacity  for foodgrains across the country;
- (c) whether the Government has fixed any time-line in this regard and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government is planning to set-up decentralized storage capacity for farmers, if so, the details thereof, State-wise; including Maharashtra; and
- (e) the details of the estimated funds for the proposed scheme and the time by which it is likely to be set-up?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a): There are 8815 cold storages in the country with the capacity of 402.18 lakh MT as  on  date  as  per  the  available  information.  The  State/UT-wise  details  of  Cold Storages are at Annexure - I.

(b)  &  (c):  Food  Corporation  of  India  (FCI)  mainly  stores  wheat  &  rice  after procurement for PDS operation and to maintain buffer stock. As on 01.07.2025, total Covered  Storage  Capacity  available  with  FCI  (owned-147.19  LMT+Hired-323.38 LMT) and State agencies for storage of Central Pool foodgrain stock is 821.36 Lakh MT.

Further,  the  requirement  of  Storage  capacity in  FCI  depends  upon  the  level  of procurement, requirement of buffer norms and PDS operations for Rice and Wheat mainly. FCI continuously assesses and monitors the storage capacity and based on the storage gap assessment, storage capacities are created/hired through following schemes: -

1.  Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme
2.  Central Sector Scheme (CSS) 2017-25
3.  Construction of Silo's under PPP mode
4.  Hiring of godown from CWCs/SWCs/State Agencies
5.  Hiring of godown through Private Warehousing Scheme (PWS).
6.  Creation of godowns under Asset Monetization
7.  CAP Hiring Scheme -2025
8.  Modified PEG scheme for NE & Hilly states with longer guarantee period of 15 years

(d) & (e): As per the information received from Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India, the Government has approved the 'World's Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector' on 31.05.2023 and it has been rolled out as a Pilot Project in the  country  including  Maharashtra,  for  setting  up  decentralized  food  grain  storage capacity through creation of various agri infrastructure at Primary Agricultural Credit Societies  (PACS)  level,  including  warehouses,  custom  hiring  center,  processing units, Fair Price Shops, etc. by leveraging the 'whole-of-Government' approach. The Plan is being implemented by utilizing the approved outlays of various Government of  India  (GoI)  schemes,  viz.  Agriculture  Infrastructure  Fund  (AIF),  Agricultural Marketing  Infrastructure  Scheme  (AMI),  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of Horticulture  (MIDH),  Sub  Mission  on  Agricultural  Mechanization  (SMAM),  Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME) and Pradhan  Mantri  Kisan  Sampada  Yojana  (PMKSY)  for  creation/  modernization  of infrastructure facilities at PACS level.

The estimated cost of the project for each PACS would vary depending upon various parameters such as storage capacity, requirement for custom hiring centre, processing units, etc. Interest Subvention under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund is being dovetailed with the subsidies available under the identified schemes for the construction of godowns and other agri-infrastructure at PACS level.

Under  this  programme,  one  PACS  Godown  has  been  constructed  at Amrawati, Maharashtra by Neripanglai Vividh Karyakari Sahakari Sanstha.

Annexure - I State wise distribution of Cold Storages as on 30.06.2025 in the Country

| S. No.   | Name of the State              |   No. |   Capacity (MT) |
|----------|--------------------------------|-------|-----------------|
| 1        | Andaman & Nicobar Islands (UT) |     4 |            2210 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh & Telangana     |   480 |         1996340 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh              |     2 |            6000 |
| 4        | Assam                          |    45 |          212662 |
| 5        | Bihar                          |   316 |         1490200 |
| 6        | Chandigarh (UT)                |     7 |           12462 |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh                   |   132 |          586863 |
| 8        | Delhi                          |    97 |          129857 |
| 9        | Goa                            |    29 |            7705 |
| 10       | Gujarat                        |  1023 |         4042770 |
| 11       | Haryana                        |   387 |          886656 |
| 12       | Himachal Pradesh               |    89 |          181318 |
| 13       | Jammu & Kashmir                |    96 |          382564 |
| 14       | Jharkhand                      |    60 |          250077 |
| 15       | Karnataka                      |   271 |          930379 |
| 16       | Kerala                         |   202 |           96655 |
| 17       | Lakshadweep (UT)               |     1 |              15 |
| 18       | Madhya Pradesh                 |   341 |         1498651 |
| 19       | Maharashtra                    |   672 |         1259932 |
| 20       | Manipur                        |     2 |            4500 |
| 21       | Meghalaya                      |     4 |            8200 |
| 22       | Mizoram                        |     3 |            4071 |
| 23       | Nagaland                       |     5 |            8150 |
| 24       | Orissa                         |   182 |          579321 |
| 25       | Pondicherry (UT)               |     4 |             185 |
| 26       | Punjab                         |   780 |         2642715 |
| 27       | Rajasthan                      |   192 |          661876 |
| 28       | Sikkim                         |     2 |            2100 |
| 29       | Tamil Nadu                     |   188 |          399690 |
| 30       | Telangana                      |   117 |          627131 |
| 31       | Tripura                        |    14 |           46354 |
| 32       | Uttar Pradesh                  |  2489 |        15101408 |
| 33       | Uttrakhand                     |    62 |          206848 |
| 34       | West Bengal                    |   517 |         5952997 |
|          |                                |  8815 |        40218862 |

(Source: Directorate of  Marketing and  Inspection  (DMI) upto 2009, National Horticulture Board (NHB), National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Horticulture Mission for North East & Himalayan States (HMNEH)) and MoFPI

*****