NAGAPATTINAM: The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation has taken up special steps for the construction of godowns of varying capacity in interior villages across the State in general and in the central region in particular for facilitating the safe stocking of paddy and rice and their speedy movement during any critical time such as drought, floods or other natural calamities.
The capacity of each godown varies from 1,000 tonnes to 25,000 tonnes, depending on the need of the area and the size of government site available. Apart from ensuring food security, the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation is now fully prepared to stock any amount of food produce to be supplied from the Central pool, an official of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation told The Hindu here on Wednesday.
The programme on construction of godowns was being implemented with full vigour with effect from 2011, the official added.
The number of godowns had got increased from just 180 in 2011 to 292 now, indicating that an additional 112 godowns had been constructed in a short span of less than six years.
The new infrastructure was being facilitated by the funds from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development wherever possible to a great extent under the Bank’s Rural Infrastructure Development Fund, the official added.
On the expenditure, the official said that a godown with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes was being constructed at an expenditure of Rs.80 lakh. Presently, the concentration was more in seven districts, including Madurai, Kancheepuram, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, where the paddy production was on the rise.
The official also said that the construction of these new godowns had totally eliminated the dependence of the Corporatioin on private storage yards or godowns. “So far, we had to move our paddy or rice at their godowns, but the new infrastructure had helped us to be self-reliant,” the official said.
