The Ministry of Cooperation has provided an update on the World's Largest Grain Storage Plan in the Cooperative Sector, revealing that construction work has been completed at 313 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) across the country, creating a total storage capacity of 1.80 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT). This represents progress from the 1,015 PACS identified nationwide for godown construction under the initiative.

State-wise Implementation Status

Rajasthan leads with 121 godowns constructed, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 117, Gujarat with 44, and Maharashtra with 19. Other states with completed construction include Tamil Nadu (5), Telangana (1), Uttar Pradesh (1), Assam (1), Madhya Pradesh (1), Tripura (1), Uttarakhand (1), and Karnataka (1).

Bihar-specific Progress

In Bihar, 36 PACS have been identified for the program, with 27 PACS (including 4 from West Champaran district) applying for assistance under the Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) scheme. Construction work has commenced at the 4 PACS in West Champaran district.

Integration with Food Corporation of India

The storage plan has been integrated with FCI's requirements, which has mapped a storage requirement of approximately 26.03 LMT across 216 potential locations in 18 States/Union Territories. FCI has provided uniform hiring assurance for 9 years to warehouses with capacity of 2,500 metric tonnes or more (1,671 metric tonnes and above for North-Eastern and hilly regions).

Scheme Modifications

The plan involves creating various agricultural infrastructure including godowns, custom hiring centers, processing units, and Fair Price Shops at PACS level through convergence of existing Government of India schemes. Significant modifications have been made to supporting schemes:

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF): Credit guarantee period enhanced from 2+5 years to 2+8 years.

Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) Scheme:

  • Margin money requirement reduced from 20% to 10% to enhance financial viability
  • Construction cost revised from ₹3000–3500/MT to ₹7000/MT for plain areas and from ₹4000/MT to ₹8000/MT for northeastern states
  • Subsidy increased from 25% to 33.33% (from ₹875/MT to ₹2333/MT for plain areas and from ₹1333.33/MT to ₹2666/MT for northeastern states)
  • Additional subsidy provision of one-third of total admissible subsidy for PACS for ancillary infrastructure including internal roads, weighbridges, and boundary walls

This information was formally presented by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, in a written reply in Lok Sabha on July 28, 2026.