The Union government’s new storage policy envisages 131 lakh metric tonnes of additional foodgrain capacity as part of a wider effort to address regional imbalances, improve public distribution and modernise procurement operations.
The plan was reviewed at a conference of state and Union Territory food secretaries in New Delhi chaired by Department of Food and Public Distribution Secretary Sanjeev Chopra. Officials from the Food Corporation of India also participated.
Of the proposed additional capacity, 111 lakh metric tonnes is expected to be created by states and 20 lakh metric tonnes by the Food Corporation of India. Identified states have been asked to submit time-bound action plans, while storage facilities are to be brought onto the Depot Darpan portal for self-assessment and performance monitoring.
The policy seeks to respond to a mismatch between procurement and offtake, uneven availability of warehouses across regions and under-use of existing capacity. Better-located and better-managed storage is important for reducing movement pressure, protecting grain quality and maintaining reliable supplies for welfare programmes.
The conference fixed the paddy procurement estimate for the 2026–27 Kharif Marketing Season at 708.64 lakh metric tonnes. States also estimated procurement of 18.85 lakh metric tonnes of coarse grains during the kharif season.
A revised quality policy for rice will take effect from the new marketing season. Raw rice procured for welfare distribution will be allowed to contain up to 10 per cent broken grains, compared with the earlier limit of 25 per cent. For parboiled rice, the limit will fall from 16 per cent to 5 per cent. States have been asked to assess milling capacity and prepare phased plans for the required upgrades.
Technology changes are being introduced alongside the infrastructure programme. AI-based image validation is planned on the Procurement Centre Smart-Assessment Portal from the 2026–27 season. Online physical verification of paddy stocks at the end of procurement was also discussed.
States have been advised to complete Vehicle Location Tracking System coverage for foodgrain transport by December 2026, with identified states targeted for September. The system provides GPS-based monitoring of vehicles moving grain through the public distribution supply chain.
Integration of the Anna Chakra logistics platform with state supply-chain systems and vehicle tracking has been completed in six states. The remaining states have been asked to finish integration in phases and update data relating to fair-price shops, warehouses and commodities.
The review also found that electronic know-your-customer verification had reached 90.64 per cent by July 30. A new procedure will support e-KYC-based replication of beneficiary data and mobile-number seeding through electronic point-of-sale devices.
From October 1, the SMART-PDS system is to support procedures for temporarily disabling silent or duplicate ration cards, followed by a three-month window for e-KYC revalidation. The objective is to clean records without immediately removing a genuine beneficiary’s opportunity to verify eligibility.
The combined programme links warehouse expansion, procurement quality, transport tracking and beneficiary authentication. Its effectiveness will depend on timely state action plans, milling and storage investment, accurate digital records and continued coordination between the Centre, FCI and state food departments.
