The District Cooperative Development Committee in Darrang, Assam recently discussed strategies to implement the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in the Cooperative Sector, aimed at expanding local storage capacity and strengthening the rural agricultural economy.

About the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan

• The World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in the Cooperative Sector is a Government of India initiative launched in 2023.
• It is spearheaded by the Ministry of Cooperation , with monitoring at two sub-national levels — 
  • The State Cooperative Development Committee (SCDC) at the state level and the District Cooperative Development Committee (DCDC) at the district level. 
• The scheme is implemented with support from institutions such as the Food Corporation of India, National Cooperative Development Corporation, and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.
• The programme operates under the national vision “Sahakar Se Samriddhi” (Prosperity through Cooperatives) which is the guiding vision of the Ministry of Cooperation, established in 2021.

How Does It Work?

The plan creates decentralised grain storage infrastructure at the level of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) — the village-level cooperative societies that form the grassroots tier of India’s cooperative credit structure.

An MoU has been signed between the Ministry of Cooperation, Department of Food and Public Distribution, FCI, and NCDC to ensure that godowns built at PACS level are hired by FCI and integrated into the foodgrain supply chain — giving PACS both forward and backward market linkages.

Each integrated PACS unit includes:

• Decentralised godowns (grain storage sheds)
• Custom Hiring Centres for farm machinery
• Primary Processing Units (cleaning, sorting, grading)
• Fair Price Shops for Public Distribution System
• Procurement Centres for FCI and state agencies

Objectives of the Scheme

The scheme aims to strengthen food security and rural infrastructure.

• To create decentralized grain storage infrastructure at the village and block levels through cooperative societies.
• To reduce post-harvest losses and food wastage.
• To help farmers store crops safely and sell them at better prices rather than being forced to sell immediately after harvest.
• To integrate storage with processing units, custom hiring centres and fair price shops.

Implementation of the Scheme

• An Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Minister of Cooperation, with participation from the Ministers of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Food Processing Industries. 
• A National Level Coordination Committee (NLCC) oversees overall progress.
• Pilot status: Under the pilot project, godowns have been completed in 11 PACS across 11 states, creating a total decentralised storage capacity of 9,750 MT. 
  • Foundation stones have also been laid in 500 additional PACS. 
  • Assam is among the 11 pilot states.

Implementation in Assam

• The Food Corporation of India has identified a storage deficit of about 2,500 metric tonnes in Darrang district.
• The Kalyan Gaon Panchayat Samabay Samiti has been identified for possible implementation of the storage project.
• Assam is also witnessing rapid expansion of cooperative societies, including:
  • 54 multipurpose primary agriculture cooperative societies
  • 42 dairy cooperatives
  • Fishery cooperatives

These cooperatives are expected to strengthen rural livelihoods by supporting agriculture, dairy and fisheries.

Why the Plan is Important

• India is one of the largest producers of food grains, yet many farmers lack adequate storage facilities.
• Decentralized storage improves food security, reduces wastage and strengthens the Public Distribution System.
• It also helps create local employment and rural economic growth.

Exam Hook

Statement Based Question

Consider the following statements regarding the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in the Cooperative Sector:

1. The scheme is spearheaded by the Ministry of Cooperation.
2. The plan focuses on creating decentralized grain storage infrastructure through cooperative societies.
3. The initiative is linked to the national vision “Sahakar Se Samriddhi.”

Which of the above statements are correct?

A. 1 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

One-Line Wrap

The World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan aims to strengthen India’s food security and rural economy by building decentralized grain storage infrastructure through cooperative societies.

Source