Adani Agri Logistics dispatches 30,000 tonnes of food grains for PMGKAY

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 11 (ANI): Adani Agri Logistics Ltd (AALL) said on Monday it facilitated the dispatch of 30,000 tonnes of food grains during the COVID-19 lockdown which amounts to feeding over 60 lakh citizens across different states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and West Bengal. Seven trains owned and operated by the company for transportation of food grains from production centres in northern India to consumption centres played a critical role in facilitating this. Besides, in close coordination with the state government of Madhya Pradesh, AALL started the wheat procurement process of rabi crop with adequate safety and precautionary measures at its units from April 15. Soon after the COVID-19 outbreak, the government introduced a major welfare scheme named Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) under which it decided to distribute 5 kg foodgrains free of cost to all the National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries for three months besides other regular welfare schemes. AALL, a part of the Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones (APSEZ) and which operates a network of food grain storage silos across 14 locations in India, worked as a lifeline for lakhs of families depending on the supplies. With a collective storage capacity of 8.75 tonnes per annum, this storage infrastructure caters to nearly 1.5 crore people."What AALL achieved during the difficult lockdown goes beyond business goals and benchmarks of efficiency," said APSEZ Chief Executive Officer Karan Adani. "It not only ensured that critical food supplies is accessible to the needy but made it incredibly convenient for farmers who have stood by India during this grave humanitarian crisis," he said in a statement.More than 25,000 farmers connected to the AALL grain silo network save Rs 130 per tonne spent otherwise as handling and cleaning charges. More importantly, the seamless process saves them two to three man-days which easily get consumed in selling their supplies at traditional Mandis.The Food Corporation of India (FCI) strategic reserves of food grain stocks helped in this testing time, the company said. AALL's role has been equally critical during lockdown wherein AALL depots continued rake movement to fulfil FCI's orders from silos in the producing states of Punjab and Haryana to the field depots silos situated in the consuming states. "AALL is vigorously contributing its bit in combating the COVID-19 situation and stands firm with FCI and Madhya Pradesh government in ensuring seamless supply chain of food grains from its automated silo units, where technology has played a key role in minimizing human contact at all points," it said.Going forward, the regulatory bodies with this experience in mind should formulate a policy on creating a strategic reserve of foodgrain in silos to handle such unforeseen calamities in future. Silos are an ideal mode of scientific storage with automated handling for a longer shelf life with sustained quality and nutrition. (ANI)