Chandigarh:
NDTV had earlier exposed how tonnes of food grains were rotting outside government granaries and now with a fresh crop ready for harvest the big question is where will the government store all this wheat, because on the ground at least the situation remains the same. Food grains are rotting despite the Centre's promise to increase capacity in Punjab's godowns.
In April-May, a fresh crop of wheat will be ready for harvest: Roughly 140 lakh metric tonnes.
Food Corporation of India will buy about 70% of the produce but the question is where will it store the wheat?
Already, it has kept 50 lakh metric tonnes of wheat out in the open for lack of space in its storages.
This new harvest would multiply the crisis.
In 2010 March, the Union Agriculture Ministry promised to create new spaces after an NDTV expose.
The FCI said around 70 lakh metric tonnes of storage would be created in Punjab alone in two years.
One year has passed but FCI has only managed to create space for 13 lakh metric tonnes of grains.
''We are unable to contain it, or maintain it. Food grains are rotting despite the Central promise to increase capacity to the tune of 70 lakh metric tonnes," said Manoranjan Kalia, Punjab Industries Minister.
The government acknowledges that storage of food grains is a problem in Punjab, which contributes most to the food basket of the country. Though it is optimistic about its public-private partnership but for the moment on the ground nothing really has changed, food grains continue to rot.