FCI to move out 15 lakh tonnes of rice from Punjab by October-end

To free up space in Punjab’s brimming godowns, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) will be shifting out 15 lakh tonnes of rice by October-end, state food and civil supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said on Friday.

The state has a storage capacity of nearly 212 lakh tonnes, of which nearly 80% is occupied by wheat, paddy and rice procured in the previous seasons.

Kataruchak said that by December 31, nearly 40 lakh tonnes of rice will be moved out of the state’s godowns in 20 special goods trains, containers and trucks, thus creating sufficient storage for the upcoming paddy crop.

Punjab is expecting a bumper crop of 185 lakh tonne paddy this season, which when shelled will weigh around 120 lakh tonne.

The minister further said that more godowns are being constructed on public private partnership (PPP) mode and by March 2025, Punjab will have 90 lakh tonnes of additional storage space.

Earlier this week Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had written to the Union ministry of food and public distribution, asking to move out some of the legacy grain to ensure sufficient space for fresh procurement. Notably, paddy harvesting has already started in the state. The Punjab government had also toyed with the idea of storing fresh paddy stocks at the premises of rice millers’, but it was met with resistance.

Kataruchak asked farmers to desist blocking railway tracks, stating that this would hamper transport of foodgrains.

The minister also informed that the arhtiyas started the procurement of basmati rice from Friday.