Chandigarh (Balwinder Singh): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini chaired an agricultural oversight session in Chandigarh on Tuesday to evaluate the Food and Civil Supplies Department’s roadmap under the provincial Haryana Vision-2047 strategy. Addressing structural gaps in rural logistics, the Chief Minister mandated the immediate construction of new covered godowns with a combined storage capacity of 20 lakh metric tonnes within the current annual cycle. The capital project will be executed using a Public-Private Partnership model to establish secure warehousing networks and mitigate post-harvest crop degradation.
During the operational briefing, Food and Civil Supplies Commissioner and Secretary J. Ganesan noted that the state loses roughly 4 to 5 percent of its harvested grain annually due to open-air storage vulnerabilities and structural deficiencies. Supply chain data reveals that Haryana generates approximately 115 lakh metric tonnes of wheat, 71 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, 110 lakh metric tonnes of horticultural produce, and 115 lakh metric tonnes of dairy components annually, making the province the source for nearly 25 percent of India’s national food security reserves. To safeguard this output, regional planners stated that the state’s existing infrastructure baseline of 66 lakh metric tonnes of covered storage must be scaled to 130 lakh metric tonnes over the next five years, preventing structural losses estimated between ₹3,000 crore and ₹5,000 crore.
To optimize the efficiency of the upcoming logistics infrastructure, the Chief Minister directed that all newly constructed warehousing facilities feature integrated rooftop solar panels connected to the state electrical grid, transforming storage points into active clean energy units. Furthermore, the administration will implement a technology-driven pilot project inside local grain markets and storage spaces, deploying mechanical conveyor belts to replace manual labor practices for heavy load handling.
The comprehensive, multi-departmental plan is designed to optimize resources for traditional field crops, specialized commercial vegetables, and fruits alike. Senior administrative officials attending the coordination session included Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Arun Kumar Gupta, Department of Future Principal Secretary Amneet P. Kumar, and Director General of the Swarna Jayanti Haryana Institute of Fiscal Management Dr. Raj Nehru.
