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`Save grain campaign' to reduce foodgrains' losses

Our Bureau

NEW DELHI, Aug. 9

THE Government is implementing `Save grain campaign' scheme to reduce losses to foodgrains during the post-harvest period, the Union Minister for Agriculture, Mr Ajit Singh, said on Thursday.

The main thrust of this scheme was on training, demonstration and publicity in the field of scientific storage of foodgrains at the farm level. Improvement of grain storage structures and popularisation of scientific storage units as metal bins, pucca ko this and RCC ring bins and other activities were also carried out under the campaign, he informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

With respect to storage of grains, the Minister said several new initiatives had been launched. These included: (i) Creation of additional storage capacity (estimated at 54 lakh tonnes) by State Governments, SWC and CWC on the basis of long-term guarante e by FCI.

(ii) Creation of 21 lakh tonnes capacity for bulk handling, storage and transportation facilities through private sector participation at 11 locations.

(iii) Creation of conventional godowns totalling 5.88 lakh tonnes through private sector participation at 54 locations in 14 States.

In the cooperative sector too, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) had assisted in the creation of 137.36 lakh mt storage capacity with the rural cooperatives. For creating storage under developed States/Union Territories, the NCDC ha s operated a scheme during 1999-2000 to construct 52 rural and 9 marketing godowns of 9350 mt capacity, he said.

Mr Singh also said the National Horticulture Board (NHB) was implementing schemes for strengthening the post-harvest management infrastructure for horticultural produce through capital investment subsidy for construction, expansion and modernisation of c old storages/storages for horticulture produce and development of commercial horticulture through production and post-harvest management of horticultural products.

These schemes would, inter-alia, help in checking losses in weight and quality of agricultural and horticultural produce and thereby ensure benefits to farmers, he said.

Mr Singh also said a view to enabling easy purchase of paddy and maize by private agencies, the Government had allowed procurement with higher limits of damaged, discoloured, sprouted and weevilled grains than that is prescribed in uniform specifications for kharif marketing season 2000-01.