India's Foodgrain Production and Storage Infrastructure
India achieved a record high in foodgrain production with 353.96 million tonnes in 2024-25. To complement this, the country has expanded its storage capacity to reduce post-harvest wastage and connect farms to markets.
Current Storage Capabilities
- Food Corporation of India (FCI) and State Agencies:
- Hold 917.83 lakh metric tonnes of covered and CAP storage for central pool grains.
- Cold Storages:
- 8,815 units with a capacity of 40.21 million metric tonnes for perishables nationwide.
Decentralised Storage and PACS
The establishment of 5,937 new Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and computerization of 73,492 PACS aims to improve transparency and efficiency, supported by a financial outlay of Rs 2,516 crore.
Importance of Effective Storage
Proper storage infrastructure is crucial for managing India's food supply chain, reducing wastage, ensuring farmer and consumer welfare, maintaining buffer stock for food security, and stabilizing prices of essential commodities.
Government Schemes Enhancing Storage and Infrastructure
- Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF):
- Launched in 2020 for post-harvest management and farm-gate logistics.
- As of September, Rs 73,155 crore sanctioned for 1.27 lakh projects, with a project cost of Rs 1.17 lakh crore.
- Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI):
- Supports rural agricultural marketing infrastructure.
- 49,796 projects sanctioned contributing to a storage capacity of 982.94 lakh MT with a subsidy of Rs 4,829.37 crore.
- Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY):
- Aims to build modern infrastructure for food processing.
- As of June 2025, 1,601 projects approved, with 1,133 operational, enhancing a capacity of 255.66 lakh metric tonnes per year.
- World's Largest Grain Storage Plan:
- Launched in May 2023, focusing on the cooperative sector and agri infrastructure development at PACS level.
