The government will construct high-tech silos for storage of rice in producing states once the technology for the same is fully ready, a senior Food Ministry official said today.
At present, pilot projects for rice silos have been undertaken by state-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) at Kaimur and Buxar in Bihar to test the technology.
The West Bengal government has evinced interest for construction of rise silos when the technology for the same is finalised, the official said.
Once the technology is established, the central government would like to construct in West Bengal and other rice producing states, the official added.
The official further said the construction of silos for wheat is underway. The FCI has awarded contracts to operators for construction of wheat silos with a capacity of 2.5 lakh tonnes at six places in Punjab, Delhi, Bihar, Assam and Karnataka.
A storage capacity of 25,000 tonnes at Kotkapura in Punjab has been completed in 2017-18 while construction work is in progress in the remaining locations.
Further, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) has also initiated construction of silos of 50,000 tonnes capacity at Nabha in Punjab.
Punjab has also planned to construct silos of 17 lakh tonnes capacity, of which work for 1.5-lakh-tonne capacity is completed while construction of another 15.5 lakh tonnes by the state agency is underway, the official added.
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