12 new godowns for storage of surplus rice

With the Food Corporation of India (FCI) not lifting the surplus rice produced in Orissa and the state not having sufficient storage space for this surplus produce, it has been decided to set up new godowns in 12 locations across seven districts of the state. These new godowns will be set up by the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) within a year. Each of these godowns will have a storage capacity of 1.66 lakh tonnes of paddy.

“We are planning to have new godowns in 12 locations spread across seven districts of the state to tide over the problem of storage of surplus paddy. These godowns will be set up by the CWC and we have already identified in Bargarh, Bolangir and Sonepur for setting up these godowns”, Sarada Prasad Nayak, the state minister for food supplies and consumer welfare told mediapersons here after a high-level review meeting on paddy procurement chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The state has a surplus rice stock of nearly 14 lakh tonnes every year after around 19 lakh tonnes is earmarked for the Public Distribution System (PDS), he stated.