World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector Achieves 9,750 MT Capacity

Key facts

• Pilot phase of the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in the cooperative sector completed godowns at Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in 11 states: Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Telangana, Tripura, and Rajasthan.
• Total storage capacity created under the pilot is 9,750 metric tonnes.
• Implementing agencies are National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS).
• Three godowns in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Telangana are retained for PACS’ own use; three in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat have been hired out to state or central agencies.
• Over 500 additional PACS have been identified for godown construction as of 21 November 2024.
• Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) provides PACS a 3% interest subvention on loans up to ₹2 crore with a seven-year repayment tenure (2+5 years).
• Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMI) gives PACS a 33.33% subsidy for storage units and reduces margin money requirement from 20% to 10%.
• Subsidy for ancillary infrastructure such as boundary walls and drainage systems is capped at one-third of the total permissible subsidy for the godown or the actual cost, whichever is lower.