To ease the movement of grain during the peak procurement season, the food ministry is working on a plan with the railways. It involves the creation of a ‘command structure’ of the chairman, Railway Board; secretary, food and public distribution, and the chairman, Food Corporation of India (FCI).
A similar mechanism is expected for the states. “The structure (there) could comprise the chief secretary, food secretary and the zonal managers of FCI and Indian Railways,” a senior official said. This would ensure movement of grain is smoothened at block and district levels.
FCI moves about 25 million tonnes of foodgrain annually, through rail, road and water ways. The largest quantity is transported through the railways.
During peak procurement season, arrivals far outnumber the quantity of railway wagons. The peak season for wheat starts from April and goes up to June-July.
For rice, it starts around October and lasts up to December-January.
The new plan would seek a dedicated division in both FCI and the Railway Board to deal with operational aspects of movement of grain, like availability and development of wagons. “A long-term strategy and movement plan for grain, from producing states to consuming states, will also be spelt out in the national plan,” the official said.
The food ministry will soon call a meeting between the heads of the Railway Board and FCI, representatives of ministries concerned and food secretaries of major grain procurement states such as Punjab and Haryana.
“The plan will also look at developing railway infrastructure, including railheads and rail yards in FCI godowns, to improve loading and unloading of grain,” the official added.
In 2010-11, the railways transported 31.4 mt of foodgrain, both inter and intra-state, almost 11 per cent more than the previous year. It handled 12,322 rakes (average weight of around 2,350-2,550 tonnes), 11 per cent more than the previous year, FCI data showed.
Officials said as the foodgrain surplus is mainly confined to the northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, transportation involves long distances through the country. Stocks procured in the markets and purchase centers are first collected in the nearest depot and from there, despatched to the recipient states within a limited time.
India's foodgrain production in 2010-11 is estimated to be a record 235.9 mt, up 8.1 per cent from last year.
As procurement of wheat reached an all-time high of 26 mt just two months into the 2011-12 procurement season, a harried FCI and state agencies rushed to create more space for new arrivals. It started moving wheat directly from mandis to railway stations, to prevent markets from getting choked due to heavy arrivals.
