Food Corporation of India Ltd (FCI) is teaming up with Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor) for silo-to-silo movement of wheat in huge flexi bags stuffed inside containers in a move that will usher in a big change in food grain logistics.
Concor will flag off a train carrying 90 containers loaded with wheat from Sangrur in Punjab to Bhankoda near Viramgam in Gujarat in the next few days. Each container will carry 28 tonnes of wheat packed in flexi bags made of polypropylene. A 90-container rake will thus carry 2,520 tonnes.
“FCI has placed an indent with Concor to move wheat in flexi bags inside containers on a trial basis,” a government official said. “It will herald a big change in food grain logistics in India,” he said.
Currently, wheat is transported in gunny bags of various sizes from production to distribution/consumption centres on BCN wagons – a bogie covered wagon for carrying bagged commodities like cement, fertilizer and food grain.
“Because of multiple handling and pilferage, as much as 25 per cent of the food grains is lost/wasted in transit,” the official said.
Moving food grains packed in huge flexi bags inside containers will eliminate wastage as there is no manual intervention.
From silos located at the production centre, wheat will be filled in flexi bags and stuffed inside containers, transported to distribution centres from where the grain will be offloaded onto conveyor belts and shifted to silos.
“This will dispense with the practice of bagging food grains in jute bags and help store it for longer periods without the risk of weevil attacks/infestation and eaten by rodents at distribution centres,” the official said.
Further, it will help in better distribution of food grains based on demand, he added.
Source: Business Line
