Guwahati: Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Rural Development, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, inaugurated a Food Corporation of India’s Depot at Tamenglong, Manipur, virtually from a function held at FCI, Zonal Office Guwahati.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the Minister said that FCI has come a long way in the North Eastern States and increased its storage capacity from 5.05 Lakh Metric Tonne in 2014 to 8.21 Lakh Metric Tonnein 2023.

The Minister added that the FCI has also capitalised the procurement potential in the states of Assam and Tripura by effective handholding with the respective state Governments.  Assam and Tripura has procured quantities of1,21,630 MT and 28,476 MT paddy respectively so far during the  ongoing KMS  2022-23 which will further increase as the season progresses.

She said that the aim of procurement in North Eastern States has the twin objective of making itself-reliant in food grain requirement and also to provide effective price support to the farmers.

Applauding the present government in a statement to the media, the MoS stated that the present Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been giving top priority for the development of North-Eastern region in all the sectors and have already accelerated its development.

Addressing the gathering virtually, the Chairman and Managing Director of FCI Ashok K.K Meena, IAS highlighted the role of FCI in not only providing the food security to the nation but also playing its role of effective intervention for price stabilisation.

He said that in tune with the policy of the Government of India, FCI has started Open Market Sales Scheme(Domestic), (OMSS) to control the prices of wheat in the open market and to achieve effective price stabilisation.

He added that 30 Lakh Metric Tonnes of Wheat would be offloaded in the open market under the said scheme.

He highlighted that in the state of Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya, FCI has floated tenders under this scheme for a total quantity of 16400 MT wheat so that Flour mills, Private Traders, Bulk buyers and Manufacturers of wheat products may lift the stocks from the designated depots of FCI. This will be followed by further tenders.

While thanking the MOS for providing this opportunity to the North East Zone, the Executive Director (NE), D.P Shukla said that with the creation of such capacities, FCI can keep stocks for more than four months’ requirement and added that the FCI will try to enhance it up to six months’ PDS requirement to meet out any kind of eventualities.

He added that, FCI is creating 1,05,890 MT of Storage space IN North East Zone under Central Sector Scheme (CSS) of Government of India. Till date, a capacity of 53,930 MT has been created since 2017and a further capacity of about 30,000 MT is coming up by the end of this year in North East.

Shukla said that this newly created storage capacity of 4730 MT at Tamenglong will cater to the food grain requirement of Tamenglong and Noney Revenue districts.

He added that with FCI’s enhanced stacking norms, this godown can stock food grains upto 5900 MT.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)