A tepid response from the private players to the Private Entrepreneurs Godown Scheme (PEG-2008) floated by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has put the corporation in a fix.
FCI requires additional space for storing 12.76 million tonne of wheat, out of which over 11 million tonne is proposed for Punjab and Haryana. The non-availability of space may result in an unprecedented move. According to sources in FCI, the surplus would be shipped to the ‘dry’ states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh if the requisite capacity is not created in the states of Punjab and Haryana in the stipulated time.
The official said open plinths can be created in those states to store wheat in good conditions at a more affordable cost.
The exact quantities and destinations would be decided in a high level committee meeting of FCI in the first week of June.
The states concerned have been advised to hire PR agencies for aggressive advertising and dissemination of information to engage required capacities for storage. Over 80 per cent of the capacities are to be created in Punjab and Haryana, hence both the states are on FCI’s radar.
According to sources in FCI, out of the total additional capacities of 12.76 million tonnes, the major chunk is to be located in Punjab and Haryana.
Punjab is expected to add maximum 7.12 mt followed by Haryana with the projected requirement of 3.88 mt.