Storage and preservation of food grains is an important component of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Himachal Pradesh due to its hilly terrain, remote areas, and snow-bound regions. The Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs maintains buffer stocks and warehousing arrangements to ensure uninterrupted supply of food grains throughout the year.
Storage and preservation of food grains is an important component of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Himachal Pradesh due to its hilly terrain, remote areas, and snow-bound regions. The Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs maintains buffer stocks and warehousing arrangements to ensure uninterrupted supply of food grains throughout the year.
The department maintains a network of government godowns and storage facilities for safe storage of wheat, rice, sugar, and other essential commodities distributed under PDS. There are about 121 godowns with a storage capacity of approximately 59,863 metric tonnes in the State.
The storage system in the State operates through:
- Departmental godowns.
- Warehouses of the Food Corporation of India.
- Hired storage facilities.
- Buffer stocking arrangements in tribal and snow-bound areas before winter season.
The Government of India also provides extended buffer storage norms for hill states like Himachal Pradesh because transportation during snowfall and landslides becomes difficult.
Despite continuous improvements, some major challenges remain:
- Limited storage infrastructure in remote areas
- High transportation cost
- Weather-related disruptions
- Risk of leakage and spoilage