Haryana godowns full, no space for paddy

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 18

Haryana, which begins procurement of paddy from October 1, has little storage space for the crop as its warehouses and sheds in grain markets across the state are packed to capacity with last year’s wheat and rice.

While paddy has already started arriving in the markets, millers will begin delivering custom-milled rice, which requires covered space, from October 15.

The Tribune has learnt that sheds at grain markets are unlikely to be cleared for at least a month, while it will take five to six months before substantial quantities of stored foodgrain is moved out of the warehouses.

As on August 31, around 87.06 lakh MT of wheat belonging to the Food Corporation of India was stacked in warehouses across the state. Of this, 63.74 lakh MT is in covered warehouses while the rest 23.32 lakh MT  is lying in the open on plinths.

Around 14.70 lakh MT of rice belonging to the FCI is also stacked in covered warehouses. Besides, nearly 5-6 lakh MT of wheat is lying in  sheds of grain markets where the government agencies need to conduct procurement for paddy, bajra and other kharif crops. 

The state government procured a record 87.1 lakh MT of wheat this year.

Sources say as of now, the 92 lakh MT covered warehouse capacity of the state is fully utilised — besides 78.44 lakh MT of wheat and rice, items like gunny bags, feritilisers and stocks of private firms are also stacked in these godowns.

“The matter was taken up with the FCI and they have assured us that 5 lakh MT of wheat from markets will be shifted soon,” says Raj Kumar Beniwal, Chief Marketing Enforcement Officer in the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board. Sources, however, say the current pace of movement of foodgrains from Haryana to consuming states is 4-5 lakh MT per month — about half of this is wheat lying in sheds and the rest is rice stacked in warehouses. “Only if the movement of foodgrains doubles that one can hope of easing of the situation.”

Total (covered/open) capacity
123 lakh MT
92 lakh MT: Total covered capacity (required to store rice)
78.44 lakh MT: Total wheat or rice in covered warehouses
63.74 lakh MT: Wheat stacked in covered warehouses
14.70 lakh MT: Rice stacked in covered warehouses
8 lakh MT: Space occupied by gunny bags, fertilisers
4-5 lakh MT: Outward movement of foodgrains/month