NCML commissions modern grain silos in Haryana with Rs 80 crore investment

National Commodities Management Services Limited (NCML) on Thursday inaugurated public silo storage facilities at Sonipat, Haryana, entailing an investment of Rs 80 crore.

The four flat-bottom silos have been built with a storage capacity of 12,500 tonnes each and are situated at Mohana in Sonipat, the company said in a statement.

Each of these long-term storage silos is built-in with stationary and mechanical ventilators, aeration fans and sweep augurs, and a temperature monitoring system.

''This modern silo storage is having auto functions, which can be operated during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions with minimum manual interventions,'' NCML said.

NCML Managing Director and CEO Siraj Chaudhry said, ''post-harvest losses in agricultural commodities range from 4 per cent to 10 per cent for cereals, pulses, and oilseeds, of which nearly 50 per cent is on account of improper storage and preservation. We at NCML, address this particular aspect by adopting scientific storage techniques for storage and preservation''.

Storage in silos is one of the prominent practices worldwide and NCML is the first company in India to offer silos for the storage of commodities for private players, he said.

NCML President Unupom Kausik said the major population of the local Haryana community is involved in grain cultivation. ''With this project, we are hopeful that local growers will have amplified market access and will get more prospects to sell their products, making them more gainful in the long run''.

NCML said it is building 13 modern storage silo complexes for Rs 960 crore in Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with state-owned Food Corporation of India.