5,642 warehouse projects completed under WIF scheme so far, says Govt

Around 5,642 warehousing projects have been completed under the Warehouse Infrastructure Fund (WIF) scheme so far, Parliament was informed on Friday.

Under the Warehouse Infrastructure Fund (WIF) scheme, under the Ministry of Finance, about Rs 9,393.68 crore funds have been sanctioned till December 2022 for establishment of 7,953 warehouse projects spread across 21 states, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

The estimated storage capacity on completion of these projects will be 9.32 million tonnes, he said.

Out of which, the cumulative disbursement of WIF loan till December 2022 was Rs 8,357 crore, as against the sanctions. "As on date, 5,642 projects have been completed," the Minister said.

Apart from the WIF scheme, Tomar said the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture facilitates medium-long-term debt financing for investment in viable projects relating to post-harvest management infrastructure through incentives and financial support.

Out of the total post-harvest infrastructure units, including setting up of warehouses created under AIF, 36 per cent are warehouses.

Under this scheme, 9,407 warehouses were sanctioned for an amount of Rs 7,159 crore.

Out of which, Rs 4,812 crore has been disbursed as on March 17, since the inception of AIF from July 8, 2020, the minister added.