SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has six Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) identified for creation of storage infrastructure under the Union Government’s World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan (WLGSP), but no godown has been constructed in the Union Territory so far, according to data presented by the Ministry of Cooperation in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The Ministry said six PACS/cooperative societies in JK have been identified under the plan, while the number of godowns constructed stands at zero. The data did not list any PACS identified or godowns constructed separately for Ladakh.
Across the country, 1,015 PACS or cooperative societies have been identified under the plan, of which 313 godowns have been constructed, the Ministry said in its reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha.
JK’s six identified PACS account for around 0.6 per cent of the national total, while its zero godowns constructed place it among the participating states and Union Territories where no construction has yet been completed. In contrast, Andhra Pradesh has completed all 117 godowns against 117 PACS identified, while Rajasthan has constructed 121 godowns against 201 identified PACS.
The Ministry said 1.80 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of storage capacity has been created under the WLGSP since its inception. The plan is being implemented through convergence of existing Central Government schemes, including the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme, Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization and Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme.
The Union Government said there is no provision under the plan for direct financial assistance to PACS or cooperative societies for construction of godowns.
According to the Ministry, decentralised storage facilities at village and PACS levels are expected to reduce post-harvest losses by enabling scientific storage closer to farms and reducing handling. The facilities are also intended to allow farmers to store produce locally instead of making distress sales immediately after harvest and sell when market conditions are more favourable.
The Ministry further said localised storage would reduce transportation distances and associated costs by limiting repeated long-distance movement of agricultural produce to distant warehouses or mandis, thereby improving farmers’ price realisation, supply-chain efficiency and food security.
Of the 1,015 PACS identified nationally, Gujarat accounts for the highest number at 275, followed by Rajasthan with 201 and Andhra Pradesh with 117. Odisha has identified 80, Maharashtra 79 and Jharkhand 52. JK, with six identified PACS, is among the lower-count participants in the programme.
The data was provided by Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha in response to a question by MPs, including Tarun Chugh, on the progress of the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan during the last year.
