Wheat to be stored in scientific manner in new godowns in Pun

The freshly harvested wheat in Punjab is to be stored in a scientific manner this year on the back of creation of new storage capacities in the state.
"This year, we will be storing entire wheat crop in scientific manner as we have created sufficient storage capacity in the state for storing purpose," a senior official of Food Corporation of India (FCI) told PTI here.
After exhausting all available resources, a sizeable quantity of wheat ranging between 20 to 35 lakh tonne was being stored every year at places including rice mills, mandi yards and open space in the state which was vulnerable to vagaries of weather.

Over 90,000 tonnes of wheat is estimated to have got damaged in Punjab in the last six years or so due to poor storing system.
Punjab has added 43 lakh tonne of new storage capacities under Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee scheme in last 2 years as against 51 lakh tonne of capacity allocated by Centre.
With the creation of new capacities, the covered capacity for storing foodgrain in Punjab has reached 145 lakh tonne while the state also has 120 tonne of Covered and Plinths (CAP).
"We are quite comfortable this year as far as storing wheat is concerned. We will be left with about 155 lakh tonne wheat including old stock by end of May which will be stored in scientific manner," he said.

Punjab, which is known as bread basket of country, is eyeing 115 lakh tonne of wheat procurement during Rabi Marketing season 2014-15.