{"id":77474,"date":"2026-06-20T18:17:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=77474"},"modified":"2026-06-20T18:19:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:49:49","slug":"smart-warehousing-foodgrains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-06-2026\/smart-warehousing-foodgrains","title":{"rendered":"Smart Warehousing System for Foodgrain Storage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, launched the Smart Warehousing System for foodgrain storage in New Delhi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The system represents the world&#8217;s largest deployment of <strong>Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) based technologies<\/strong> in public sector foodgrain warehousing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Smart Warehousing System integrates advanced technologies such as;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>FASTag and ANPR-based gate automation,&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Intelligent access control through geo-tagged smart locks,&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI-enabled bag counting, face recognition systems, object detection, IoT-based monitoring of environmental parameters, and&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI-powered surveillance for fire, smoke and rodent detection.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This platform also supports <strong>ERP integration, automated record generation and advanced analytics<\/strong> for warehouse operations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance of Food Grain Storage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reducing Post-Harvest Losses:<\/strong> Proper storage, including cold storage and modern warehouses, significantly reduces the wastage of agricultural produce.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ensuring Food Security:<\/strong> Maintaining a buffer stock of food grains is essential for national food security and for distribution under programmes like the National Food Security Act (NFSA).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Preventing Distress Sales:<\/strong> Access to storage facilities allows farmers to hold their produce and sell it at an optimal time, avoiding distress sales and helping them realise better prices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Price Stabilisation: <\/strong>Maintaining strategic buffer stocks helps protect consumers from extreme price volatility in essential commodities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maintaining Quality: <\/strong>Scientific storage ensures that food grains remain fit for human consumption by controlling factors like moisture and pests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Food Grain Storage Systems in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Centralized storage<\/strong>, handled mainly by agencies like the Food Corporation of India (FCI).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cold storage,<\/strong> which caters to perishable items such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Decentralized storage<\/strong>, carried out through rural godowns, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), and on-farm storage by farmers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Centralized Storage of Food Grains<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The procurement of food grains in Central Pool is undertaken either by FCI directly or by <strong>State Govt. Agencies (SGA).&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quantity procured by SGAs is <strong>handed over to FCI for storage<\/strong> and the cost of the food grains procured by State agencies is reimbursed by FCI.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The FCI manages this stock, storing it and subsequently issuing it for distribution through the<strong> Public Distribution System (PDS).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>As of July 2025,<\/strong> the Total Covered and CAP Storage Capacity available with FCI and State agencies for the storage of Central Pool foodgrains stood at <strong>917.83 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Covered storage capacity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Covered storage capacity refers to the<strong> total quantity of foodgrains<\/strong> that can be stored in <strong>fully roofed and walled structures, <\/strong>such as godowns, warehouses, or silos. Foodgrains in <strong>\u2018Cover and Plinth\u2019 (CAP) storage<\/strong> are stored on elevated plinths and wooden crates are used as dunnage material.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cold Storage Infrastructure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cold chain infrastructure includes facilities for pre-cooling, weighing, sorting, grading, packaging, Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage, blast freezing, and refrigerated transport like reefer vans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d1dfe8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d1dfe8;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"467\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-164.png\" alt=\"CA\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-77475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-164.png 467w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-164-300x240.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives to Improve Storage Infrastructure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF):<\/strong> AIF was launched in 2020 to strengthen agricultural infrastructure across India. The scheme focuses on the creation of farm-gate storage and logistics facilities to help farmers store their produce effectively.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI):<\/strong> AMI scheme is a key component of the Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The objective is to strengthen <strong>agricultural marketing infrastructure<\/strong> across rural India by providing financial assistance for the construction and renovation of godowns and warehouses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY):<\/strong> It is a comprehensive scheme designed to build modern infrastructure for the food processing sector, creating a smooth and efficient supply chain from the farm gate to retail.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme: <\/strong>It was implemented in 2008, to augment the covered storage capacity through private entrepreneurs, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital initiatives <\/strong>such as <strong>Depot Darpan, Anna Chakra and SMART PDS<\/strong> are helping improve monitoring, storage and distribution of foodgrains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Agriculture remains the lifeline of India, feeding millions while sustaining livelihoods and driving economic growth.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While record foodgrain production reflects India\u2019s agricultural strength, efficient storage and distribution ensure that every grain reaches the consumer.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With a growing population and changing climate, maintaining sufficient stocks is essential to ensure year-round availability and price stability.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2274785&amp;reg=3&amp;lang=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, launched the Smart Warehousing System for foodgrain storage in New Delhi. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The system represents the world&#8217;s largest deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) based technologies in public sector foodgrain warehousing. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Smart Warehousing System integrates advanced technologies such as; <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> FASTag and ANPR-based gate automation,\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-06-2026\/smart-warehousing-foodgrains \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77474"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77491,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77474\/revisions\/77491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}