Monsoon fury: Hundreds of tonnes of rice stored in godowns damaged in Punjab

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, July 25

Hundreds of tonnes of rice stored in the Food Corporation of India’s godowns in Punjab has got damaged due to the flooding.

Though wet wheat stocked in the godowns can be dried, rice gets completely damaged.

It’s learnt that 70 lakh metric tonnes of rice and same quantity of wheat is stored in the FCI’s godowns in the state. The maximum damage has been reported in Morinda, Ropar, Sardulgarh and Kotkapura.

B Srinivasan, General Manager, Food Corporation of India, Punjab, said, “We are still examining the stocks in these godowns. Soon, we will know the exact extent of damage.”

Around 90 per cent of the stock was procured in the last two procurement seasons (kharif and rabi).

Officials in the Food Corporation of India said they were dispatching the stock to the recipient states from Punjab. Around eight rakes of foodgrain are leaving the state daily.

Even foodgrain in godowns of the four state procurement agencies has suffered damage. A report prepared by the Food and Supply Department shows that the rainwater entered the godowns of the Punjab Warehousing Corporation in Morinda, Sangrur and Faridkot.

Floodwater also entered the Markfed’s godowns in Patiala, Faridkot and Ropar. Similarly, stocks in godowns of the Punsup in Jandiala and of the Pungrain in Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali also got wet.