Modern ways to store grains can help PDS: Expert

This was important as the 40 tonnes of reserve grain stock cannot feed more than two consecutive years of drought in the changing climate scenario, Krishnakumar said.

He suggested exploration of genetic technologies as new tools in this area. He was speaking after inaugurating a workshop on scientific approaches in preventing grain losses organised in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

ICAR Deputy Director General (Agricultural Engineering), K Alagusundaram shared his research experiences on grain storage at Canada, Delhi and Tiruchirappalli and said bulk storage of grain could minimise losses compared to bag storage methods.

Through Food Corporation of India, 60-72 tonnes of grains are stored which at the current minimum support price works out to around Rs.one lakh crore, Alagusundaram said. Placement of trained entomologists in FCI godowns to save these stocks is the need of hour, he pointed out.

TNAU vice-chancellor Dr K Ramasamy emphasised the need for scientific storage of food grains to achieve price consistency.