NLCC Holds Inaugural Meeting on World's Largest Grain Storage Plan

Dr. Bhutani emphasized that the project is one of the most ambitious initiatives undertaken by the Government of India, envisioning the creation of warehouses at a decentralized level for nationwide implementation.

The National Level Coordination Committee (NLCC) for the world's largest grain storage plan convened its inaugural meeting at the Ministry of Cooperation in New Delhi on Monday.

Led by Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation, the committee comprised key stakeholders including Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Secretary of Food and Public Distribution, Secretary of Food Processing Industries, and Managing Director of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). Representatives from the Food Corporation of India (FCI), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA) were also present.

The primary agenda of the meeting was to review the implementation status of the pilot project initiated in 11 states last year. This ambitious plan aims to establish agricultural infrastructure at the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society (PACS) level, including warehouses, custom hiring centers, processing units, and Fair Price Shops, by leveraging various existing schemes of the Government of India (GoI) such as the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMIS), Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM), and Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME).

Dr. Bhutani emphasized that the project is one of the most ambitious initiatives undertaken by the Government of India, envisioning the creation of warehouses at a decentralized level for nationwide implementation.

Implemented by the NCDC with support from NABARD, FCI, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), and NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS), the pilot project is now being extended to an additional 500 PACS with the collaboration of state governments, NCCF, National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), and others.

States, Union Territories, and national-level cooperative federations like the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) have identified more PACS for the creation of storage capacity and other agricultural infrastructure under the project.

The committee also deliberated on strategies to scale up the plan nationwide, including options for linking godowns with various stakeholders, to ensure the success and effectiveness of this monumental initiative.