The National Level Coordination Committee (NLCC) for the World’s largest grain storage plan held its inaugural meeting on Monday at the Ministry of Cooperation, New Delhi. The meeting marked a significant step in advancing the ambitious project aimed at enhancing agricultural infrastructure across India.
Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation, presided over the meeting, which included high-level participation from key departments and organizations. Among the attendees were the Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Secretary of Food and Public Distribution, the Secretary of Food Processing Industries, and the 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 the Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA), along with other stakeholders, also took part.
The committee reviewed the progress of the pilot project, which was launched last year in 11 states. This initiative aims to create a range of agricultural infrastructure at the Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) level.
Planned developments include the construction of warehouses, custom hiring centers, processing units, and Fair Price Shops. These efforts are set to be realized through the integration of various existing Government of India schemes such as the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMI), Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM), and the Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME).
Dr. Bhutani emphasized the scale and importance of the project, describing it as one of the most ambitious initiatives undertaken by the Government of India. The plan envisions the establishment of decentralized warehouses to facilitate the nationwide rollout of grain storage infrastructure.
The pilot project is being implemented by the NCDC with support from NABARD, FCI, the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), and NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS), in coordination with the respective states and union territories.
The initiative is now being expanded to include 500 additional PACS, with assistance from state governments, the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF), and the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC).
National-level cooperative federations such as the NCCF and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) have identified additional PACS for the creation of storage capacity and other agricultural infrastructure under the project.
During the meeting, the committee also deliberated on strategies to scale the plan nationwide, exploring options for linking the new godowns with various stakeholders to enhance the efficiency and reach of the initiative.
