23,000 Tonnes of Government Grain Lost in Transit

17-Jul-2025 04:30 PM

New Delhi. In the first quarter of the financial year 2025–26 (April to June), the Food Corporation of India (FCI) reported a loss of around 23,000 tonnes of food grains during transportation, valued at approximately ₹75.90 crore.

During this period, FCI transported about 128 lakh tonnes of food grains from surplus states to deficit regions. The loss accounted for 0.18 percent of the total quantity moved.

According to FCI, transit losses occur due to various factors such as repeated loading and unloading, removal of sacks, theft, poor railway infrastructure, and fluctuations in temperature and humidity. By comparison, in the same period of 2024–25, FCI lost 73,000 tonnes (0.17 percent) of food grains worth ₹236 crore.

In the current year, FCI has procured 301 lakh tonnes of wheat and 531 lakh tonnes of rice during the first nine months of the Kharif and Rabi marketing seasons.

Interestingly, while 23,000 tonnes were lost in transit, FCI recorded a gain of 66,000 tonnes during storage, equal to 0.08 percent of the 805 lakh tonnes stored. This increase is mainly due to changes in moisture content—wheat tends to absorb moisture during storage, increasing its weight, while rice typically loses moisture.

However, FCI also reported a storage loss of 20,000 tonnes of food grains during April–June 2025, valued at ₹84.42 crore, which represented 0.09 percent of the 222 lakh tonnes stored in its warehouses during that period.