My Disappointments with Budget 2016

Is this Really an NDA Government?

Prime Minister Modi was decisively voted to office on the basis of his promise of 'Acche Din Aanewaale Hai' credo (Good Days are around the corner), and in a manner of speaking, to take up from where Prime Minister Vajpayee had left off. Big Bang Reforms, Job Creation, Wealth Creation and Robust GDP Growth were supposed to be a given, and a departure from the regressive Left of Center politics of the ungainly UPA Coalition Governments of the past was supposed to be a reasonable expectation. However, on several counts, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley disappointed me with his Budget for 2016. The large outlays for Rural Development without creating urban wealth and Jobs, makes this look like just another UPA-X Budget.

Direct Taxes - A Historical Anomaly

I cannot profess to be an expert on all aspects of the Economy and Union Budget preparation but I do understand this. We have been "Robbing Peter to pay Paul" since the past 65 years. The salaried class continues to bear an inordinate burden of the Direct Taxes and nothing is being done in every Budget to widen the tax base.

Why cannot the Government consider bringing all Aadhar Card holders (a known and verified database, with the yet un-enrolled eager to enroll, to enjoy the benefits of subsidies) into the IT net with a voluntary low rate of tax, say 5% with compulsory filing of Returns? 

There must be hundreds of million people in India, who are self employed, earning handsome incomes but not paying a rupee in tax and thus contributing nothing to Nation Building. If the Govt. brings all earning folk into a benign tax net and expands the Direct Tax Revenue, Salaried Class Income Tax rates can be cut and their disproportionate burden towards the nation reduced. Nothing done, disappointed. 

Reduce and Simplify Direct Taxes

Ideally, a simplified Tax Compliance mechanism where all the Salaried Class pays 10% Flat Tax Rate on income with no Exceptions and Rebates is something we need to work towards. No move towards implementation of the recommendations of the Direct Tax Code, which has been gathering dust for years. Disappointed.

A Harebrained Scheme to Tax Provident Fund Savings

So instead of rationalization of taxes to reduce the burden on the Salaried Middle Classes, we have a completely incomprehensible move to tax even their savings. The Provident Fund Saving is the only nest egg that a Private Sector Employee has to retire on. To want to tax that too is akin to twisting the knife in the back a couple more times, as though bleeding them dry was not enough. One day after I wrote my piece, The Times of India had pretty much the same thing to say.

Where is the much publicized Disinvestment?

The NDA from the Vajpayee days had a stated principle that the Government's job is to Govern and not to manufacture Soap, Operate Hotels or Run Airlines. The huge financial package for the loss making Public Sector every year could be used to build hospitals, schools, roads and other infrastructure, and the reticence of Modi to boldly take a position on the same is baffling. His early political learning seem to be very Left of Center, and perhaps, he still carries some baggage of Nehruvian Economics where all things were supposed to be Government run or controlled. In this one aspect, Prime Minister Modi is more old fashioned than his much senior NDA predecessor, who had a Disinvestment Ministry and wanted the Government to exit all non-critical ventures and unlock the wealth held in these properties and businesses. 

One was hoping that the Government would make some significant announcement in connection with 100% Disinvestment in a few Public Sector Undertakings and stop the continuous bleeding of tax payer money by supporting inefficiency and sloth that constitutes the sector today. Instead, we see some spineless Stake Sale of marginal significance. This is not a reflection of the 'Government should not manufacture soap' policy. Disappointed again.

I was hoping to see genuine investment in Farm Infrastructure

One is deeply distressed that the state of our farmers has not materially improved over the past 65 years. Surely, everyone should strive to ensure a situation where this noble profession would be a safe and remunerative one on which a farmer and his family could depend on? I believe every patriotic Indian should be deeply concerned about them and use their knowledge to help better their situation. 

I support a Farm infrastructure impetus. 

I have previously written on this subject to Agriculture Ministers, Food & Civil Supplies Ministers, Secretaries of Agriculture, even to FCI and Warehouse Corporation, but not one of them have responded to either initiate action, or to rule out the idea as un-viable. I appeal to the Government to constitute a Preliminary Study to check the feasibility of my suggestion, and provide some direction and hopefully later to obtain some commitments from the Government in the Budgets.

All Governments, regardless of their political persuasion since independence, have done nothing substantive to modernize the Farming Sector and tragically, the average Indian farmer even today remains stuck in the medieval age using cultivation methods which were developed thousands of years ago. True, a lot of progress has been made in the creation on a large talent pool of Agricultural Scientists and Graduates who are working to change the sector in terms of providing a Knowledge Base on Cultivation Methods, Crop Rotation and Soil Management, but the vast majority of the millions of farmers have no access to this expertise and have to come a long way just to catch up to subsistence. One is particularly concerned about the state of post cultivation collection, processing and storage of produce, which is in a 'rotten situation’ in more ways than one, fraught with corruption, leakages and unscientific methods, but no efforts or thoughts are being extended to remedy this.

Successive Governments have thus far, spent Thousands of Lakhs of Crores of Rupees in promising Remunerative Prices in the form of MSP, providing Free Power, Pushing (sometimes controversial) Seeds, Promoting Unsafe (and sometimes banned) Insecticide and offering Fertilizer Subsidy which have just kept the farmer dependent on the Monsoon, on Usury and his produce slowly turning Pesticide-Ridden and Non-Prime over the years. In addition to such upstream efforts, the government needs to invest in downstream capabilities, in the form of contemporary farm infrastructure and help the farmer modernize the entire chain of activity from soil preparation to the ultimate storage of grain. The Government is expecting Modern Retail Trade to make these investments, but has made the Retail Industry a minefield of regulations, deterring investment (more on this later).

I have recommended exploring the need to invest in farm infrastructure in addition to subsidy, which I have tried to bring to the attention of many of the powers that be, but have found no success. No one it seems, is interested in pursuing an alternate path. I sincerely believe that this has the potential of changing the landscape of rural India and will go a long way in improving the Food Security situation of our nation. No Capital Expenditure proposed for Farm Modernization in the Budget, a further disappointment.

Our Cities are decaying due to a step-motherly treatment

Touching on an co-related matter, for 65 years, we have been repeatedly told that releasing funds for Urban Infrastructure was 'frivolous expenditure' as India is a rural agrarian economy, and thus, a lion’s share of the past Budgets were allocated to Rural Initiatives. Consequently, due to neglect and sheer non-investment in our urban centers and poorly managed investment in our villages, we are now facing a situation of both urban decay where the worlds most polluted and grid-locked cities are Indian – on the edge of collapse, while on the other hand, the farmer is still killing himself for his inability to repay a loan of a few thousand Rupees, or curiously, abandoning his farmlands to move to decaying cities. In this connection, we see however some positive action, and investments are planned for Smart Cities and improvement of the creaking infrastructure of our major urban centers. However, far more targeted and aggressive investments are required to overcome the lag imposed on our cities for 65 years. So, yes, disappointed!

Finally, my pet peeve. No clarity on Retail Trade continues to stifle it.

Mr. Amitabh Kant, Secretary DIPP, had recently accepted that the Government may not have all the answers, especially when it comes to Sunrise Industry, and hence, it was more than willing to solicit the views of the Domain Experts in assisting in the formulation of policy. While Minister for Commerce and Industry, Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman stressed that the primary aim and immediate concern of the Government was the creation of millions of jobs for our young adults, who are just entering the Economic Contributory Stage. Both spoke during the events organized for the promotion of Start Ups in India. In the background of the above, the one Sunrise Industry that has the ability to create, and absorb millions of fresh High School (Class X and XII) graduates i.e. Modern Retail Trade, is unfortunately mired in so much confusion and politics. If it is harnessed properly, Retail is a low hanging fruit that can change the outlook of the nation while contributing immensely to job creation.

• At the outset, it is no secret that India was perceived as the ‘Most Desirable’ Retail market for investors for over a decade and a half, but is now considered as a ‘High Risk’ market.
• The policies governing Retail in India have not been enablers, perhaps due to the political sensitivity to the adverse effect unbridled Retail expansion may have on the Kirana Stores, and they have been made very complex and confusing.
• The primary problem was the classification of Retail proposed by the UPA Government, i.e. Single Brand and Multi Brand Retail.
• This is a classification that is not natural in Retail, as the Activity Chain / Processes depends on type of Merchandise, and not whether they bear a single brand name or not.
• Retail Business Models are generally not amenable to the above classification and hence the Back-End Investment mandates and Sourcing Criteria do not make fiscal sense to most Retailers.
• This has resulted in no significant investment in Retail since the policy was announced by the previous Government, when it actually has the potential to be one of the best Forex earners for the country.

The Government refuses to take the advice of Retail Experts

Despite Mr. Amitabh Kant's statement of consultative process to be followed for Start Up's, when it comes to Retail Trade, he obstinately refuses to engage with Retail Experts to help formulate enabling policy. 

To ensure that the artificial barriers to investment in Retail are dismantled and the country becomes the most desirable destination for Retail Businesses the world over, while still keeping a tight watch on the deleterious effect Retail can have on the Kirana’s, the following approach that has been endorsed by the Retailers Association of India, may be worth considering.

• The entire policy framework governing retail needs to be re-looked into, and the same aligned with the business processes of the industry.
• The new suggested classification could be ‘Food Retail’ and ‘Non-Food Retail’.
• Non Food Retail which can be anything from Car Showrooms to Apparel and Consumer Durables to Jewelry Retail should be permitted as freely as possible. 
• Whether we permit 100% or 76% or even 51% FDI it is immaterial, as most retailers will be able to find Indian partners without much problem. It is critical however, to have minimal restrictive rules and regulations governing this segment.
• Thus, without even impacting the Kirana in any manner, we can open our market to literally thousands of Retail Chains and create a large number of Entry Level Jobs.
• To ensure that investment in Food Retail like Supermarkets and Fresh Chains is done in a very planned and controlled manner, this category can have reasonable restrictions to minimize their impact on the Kiranas while at the same time, encouraging them to invest in upstream infrastructure like Grain Elevators, Cold Storages and Logistics.
• Retail creates jobs for young people with Minimal Higher Education, and Short-Term Training (could even be On-The-Job Training), hence the benefits to the economy and the politics of the issue can be had within a very short gestation period.

Thus, in addition to creating a large number of jobs, the freeing up of Retail (or simply clarifying the classification) will improve our grade in the Ease of Doing Business Rating, improve our Currency Valuation and contribute to a Feel-Good Business Climate, as investors in other more Critical Sectors will be comforted when they see Retail Brands from their own countries flourish in this market. Needless to say, the influx of Retail will also have a positive spin-off on the IT, Malls, Manufacturing, Construction, Apparel and Consumables industries, and support a vast number of indirect jobs in addition to the direct ones.

We in India deserve to have a fully enabling environment for Retail, and permit us to reap the benefits of the low entry barrier investment it can bring even while protecting our Kirana heritage and jobs. No move towards clearing the logjam of Retail. Disappointed? No, distraught, actually.

Drought and Cloudbursts, Manmade Monsoon Fury

The past week, has been quite a dramatic one - if one is a viewer of any of the 24x7 Television News Channels. We have been constantly bombarded with images that one normally saw only on viral YouTube videos prior to this. Two and Three storied buildings just collapsing like a pack of cards, cars floating furiously away along in the current, dashing into other cars, bludgeoning buildings and bridges along the way, and dramatic pictures of mudslides having decimated holy towns on the banks of the Ganga, after they having stood strong for over a hundred years.

Officialdom is as usual, wringing its hands and begging us to appreciate the fact this is a natural calamity of gigantic proportions, and hence their sorry and uncoordinated rescue attempts need to be seen as brave and heroic by all patriotic Indians. Only the Armed Forces seem to be doing anything credible or worth appreciation in the search and rescue efforts. On the other hand, News reporters have already alleged that this is a 'manmade disaster' and have started pointing out that most of the buildings that were damaged, were illegal or permitted to be built on the river banks in contravention of Environment Ministry norms, and ignoring even the basics of engineering design. Focusing on the illegal structures alone seems to indicate that the reporters too are willing to accept the view that the cloudbursts are indeed natural disasters, and only the consequences thereof were manmade. It is depressing to observe that no one is studying this from a continental perspective, as I sincerely believe that this problem is entirely manmade, including the cloudbursts and feel that nature is wrecking her revenge on us for having raped and pillaged her incessantly for the past 40 odd years. What follows is my perspective as to the causes of the sudden cloud bursts and consequently, the still unknown number of lives lost and immense loss to property.

I’m sure everyone who was a child of the ‘70’s and the ‘80’s will remember the Weather Reports on the Doordarshan channel, in which, the progress of the monsoon used to be tracked from the 1^st of June onwards, by showing a Monsoon Front Line moving in slowly over the sub-continent until it was shown to cover the entire Indian landmass by the first week of July or thereabouts, when it finally became a spent force while battling the might of the Himalayas. One could see the front moving faster over the sea due to the absence of obstruction, and lagging over the land by a few days. The terms used the news readers are still fresh in my mind “The Monsoon front has progressed to cover Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Costal Kerala, South Interior Karnataka, North Interior Karnataka, Rayalseema and the Konkan regions. It is expected to further progress over the Deccan Plateau, Goa and Coastal Orissa in the next two days. The Monsoon is also expected to reach Delhi and Rajasthan which are currently reeling under heat-wave conditions, by the 30^th of June”, or something to that effect.  Thus, an entire month of rains starting from the 1^st of June had to first drench the rest of India before it could even reach the foothills of the Himalayas. This time, it took just about 10 days, and like it has done over the past few years, it has entirely skipped Karnataka and Maharashtra, and reached Delhi and the foothills. Why could this be happening?

In a similar vein, I am also quite irritated whenever a discussion on climate takes place on TV for instance, where residents of Bangalore mention that they never saw temperatures in the high 30’s back when they were kids, and the ‘Experts’ will be quick to point out that in some obscure date in May of 1937 or 1928 or whatever, Bangalore had recorded a temperature of 38.7 Deg. C, and hence there was no truth in the alarmist theories of Global Warming. The so called experts are also quick to point out that the 'Average Temperature of Bangalore has remained more or less constant over the past 100 years'. This needs to be debunked in the strongest possible terms, as I have personally seen the change in the temperatures in Bangalore, and never before was it as hot as it is in summer or as cold as it is in winter now. Thus, it seems that nature has a way of ensuring that the average is maintained – warmer summers are compensated by colder winters and thus, when the average temperature is mapped for the entire year, it will seemingly remain same as the average recorded in the ‘70’s. What this average hides is the earlier maximum – minimum range and what change that has undergone over the past 40 years. Similarly, showing us a record of some extreme temperature when our Grandparents were kids in Bangalore misses the fact that back then, such high temperatures were an absolute rarity, and may have appeared on a couple of days due to some global phenomenon like the El Nino effect, while these days, we see Bangalore suffering temperatures of mid-to-high 30’s for over 45 days in April and May, which was unheard of back then. For a city that needed no ceiling fans when we were kids, this is tragic. Nowadays, an Air Conditioner is the ubiquitous adornment for most bedrooms, adding to the environmental impact and climate change, making them more and more inevitable each season.

So, getting back to why the monsoon traversed the sub-continent so rapidly, I think it basically boils down to this – Deforestation. The monsoon front used to traverse very slowly over the peninsula landmass due to the very extensive forest and tree cover over the Malnad region of Karnataka, and the greenery of the North Karnataka and South West Andhra regions. This green cover not only slowed down the movement of the front, but also divested of it a major portion of the water content in the monsoon clouds by forcing copious yet gentle precipitation for weeks. This helped to not only slow down the movement of the front, but also resulted in controlling the amount of precipitation they retained when the winds finally hit the Himalayas, as the mountains seemingly possess the ability to extract every last drop from the clouds. Now, with the forest cover in Karnataka reducing each year, and the whole of Hyderabad Karnataka and Andhra a veritable gaping wound due to the open cast mining rampant there, means that the clouds are able to just pass over the entire landmass virtually unchallenged, and hence arrive still swollen with rain at the foothills of the Himalayas. This leads to cloudbursts, simple. Thus, this extreme weather phenomenon has been caused in part due to the greed of man, and of course, corruption. Greased palms have never possessed the ability to protect our forests, and much like the rain bearing clouds, they slip through the rules, and lay bare larger and larger swathes of forest land.

Touching upon the aspect of how the Himalayan region has been managed, and why the raging rivers have managed to wreck so much havoc, one only needs to look at the flood waters to understand that even in the Himalayas, the greed of man and the lucre of money has apparently laid bare the timeless hills. The water is a deep chocolate brown due to the millions of tons of precious topsoil that has been washed off the hills due to the absence of a tree root network that once bound it together. Further, it must be understood that this is pretty much a one-way street - as water that is mixed with soil and moving at a fast rate becomes virtually an unstoppable force, as the density of the mixture rises, so does its destructive power, eroding away more and more soil to feed the frenzy. Add to this a million trees, a few hundred thousand boulders, several houses and an assortment of cars to the mixture, it will be no different than a weapon of mass destruction, and nothing will stand in its way, especially not the shoddily constructed illegal guesthouses and cheap hotels that sully the banks of the Ganga all along its course.

I do hope that the Experts will wake up and instead of just rationalizing the problem, do something about it. We need to revert Karnataka to the earlier forest cover, ensure that the bald wounds inflicted by the iron ore mining are all greened over, and the forest cover of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are similarly improved to form an effective monsoon barrier or sponge, that traps the rain in a gentle and sustained manner. In the hills themselves, the pressure of human settlement has to be eased and extensive reforestation taken up to prevent topsoil runoff. All along the banks of the rivers, a respectful buffer zone or Ecological Zone needs to be created and the course of the rivers and their flood plains kept unpopulated. Finally, all buildings on the hills have to be restricted to a single level only, so that the pressure on the inclined soil plane is minimized. The officials tasked with the maintenance of ecologically sensitive zones need to faithfully perform their duty and preserve our nation and its precious ecosystem for our children.

Lastly, India as a nation – every single man, woman and child will have to abhor corruption. As long as we are willing to pay a bribe as speed money for our own selfish reasons, the officials will see no reason to reform themselves. Ultimately, it seems that any disaster, natural or manmade can be connected tenuously or otherwise to acts of corruption. This has got to stop!

Why Grain Elevators are needed in India

Background

On December 26th 2003, Iran suffered a devastating earthquake in Bam. An entire ancient settlement was flattened to the ground and the causality count was in the region of 43,000 dead, 30,000 injured and over 70,000 rendered homeless. Iran, normally a very insular nation, appealed to the world for assistance, seeking food, medicines and emergency shelter aid. India decided to send two ship loads of Indian wheat from the FCI Godowns. What transpired later was one of the most embarrassing moments for India in recent history. Iran, even in that desperate situation, was forced to reject the wheat aid on account of the ‘non biological’ content being higher than WHO norms.


The reasons for this situation

Even though India has achieved the Green Revolution in some of the irrigated areas in the nation, and we manage to grow sufficient grain to feed our burgeoning population, there seems to be some short comings too. While the planting and the fertilization processes are managed using modern methods and a high degree of mechanization can be seen, the fault-lines lie largely in the post growing phase.

Typically, the grain is harvested manually and stored in bushels on the field during the scything process, and at the end of day, all these are transferred onto a collection yard and stored in large mounds. Even if the grain is harvested mechanically, the ultimate storage of the stalks would typically be on the ground, with minimal protection. The stalks are allowed to dry here and are subject to rodent, cattle and pest attacks. Once dry, the threshing, winnowing and bagging of the grain are carried out using either manual or mechanical means, but the grain is always in contact with the ground, which sometimes is not even paved. Thus, it is in this post growing phase that our grain collects all the negative parameters leading to their categorization as ‘poor quality’

Subsequent to this stage, the grain is transported in open trucks and unloaded on the floors of open-air markets, walked upon by hundreds of buyers, sellers and laborers and finally end up in poorly designed and abysmally constructed godowns of the government agencies, or those of private merchants. Recent news reports have shockingly exposed that thousands of tons of grain have fallen prey to humidity damage, rodent attack and general degradation. It is little wonder that grain that is drawn from such storage will fail the most basic of tests – the one that certifies it to be ‘fit for human consumption’. While the grain that is grown with such care (Indian farmers are among the most dedicated and hard-working) should ideally be fit for the definition ‘prime grain’. However we face this sorry and somewhat agitating situation.


The possible solution that needs to be explored

Every growing district in the country needs to have investment in the setting up of Grain Elevators / Processors which would be large stainless steel structures that are designed according to the complexity of the crops grown. Typical storage requirements would include first-in-first-out storage, storage of grains of different vintage separately; multiple storage compartments to ensure that grains of different grades are not mixed, and in the most advanced stage, grains grown by different farmers can be stored and accessed separately. Typical Technical requirements would require this to be 100% humidity proof, rodent and insect proof, completely mechanized input and output, so that there is no human contact, and finally, the entire elevator shall be climate controlled (using solar power if feasible, considering the poor power supply situation in the nation), in order that the temperature and the humidity inside the elevator is controlled such that the best quality parameters can be achieved upon the grain drying and becoming ready for withdrawal.


This needs to reach out to the farmers directly

One possible scenario is to have farmers who are members or users of the grain elevator who would request the operators to come and harvest their crop once it is ready. The harvesting shall be carried out using 100% mechanical means, and in large holdings, combine harvesters that cut, thresh and winnow the grain and collect them in a truck for transport can be used, or more appropriately, for the small sized Indian farm holdings, a pedestrian operated solution needs to be developed. In either of the means, the grain shall never be permitted to have any contact with the soil or the ground, and shall be weighed and lifted into the grain elevator using conveyor belt methods. Once the grain is inside the grain elevator, it would be totally safe until it is ready / dry enough to be sold.


Benefits of this facility to the farmer

The benefits to the farmer are apparently limitless. All the concerns that are faced by them today will be completely negated if such a facility is provided. They will be able to achieve almost 100% harvest efficiency and also get the best prices for their grain as it would now qualify for higher grade parameters. The farmer will also have the ability to hedge his crop and depending on the market price, decide to hold or sell at a particular time, even permitting him to decide if he wants to clear all his stock or do so only partially.


Revenue Model for the investor

In the event that the investor is the Government, then the benefits are enormous. They can acquire grain directly from the growers and also store the same in safe and sound manner leading to a dramatic improvement in the food security situation in the nation.

If the investor is a farmers cooperative or an NGO, then the cooperative can charge its members, service charges for the activities rendered, while also taking a percentage of the selling price when a member off loads his stock. The idea of course, would be based on the ‘no profit – no loss’ philosophy.

If the investor is a private enterprise with food manufacturing or exporting interests, this will be the best way to get access to the finest grain at the most appropriate price. Stocks can be built up to cover requirements of the subsequent buying year and hence insulate the company against a shortage situation arising out of monsoon failure, etc. If the investor has no forward integration interests, then too, he will have the opportunity of playing the role of the cooperative and / or the government and still see healthy returns in the medium term.


Other additional features that can be added on to increase the revenue stream

•  Provision of Cold Storage facilities in the same premises. 

• Dairy / Milk collection and storage facility can be incorporated. Conversely, spare land of suitably located Dairy Collection Centers can be used to create this facility.

• Stocking and sale of Fertilizers, Insecticides, Farm Implements, and other similar product lines.

• Micro Banking facilities / ATM’s to provide farmers the ability to take loans and also draw (monetize) in cash on their stock held in the grain elevator, for a fee.

• Offering of farm consultation services on cropping, sowing, crop care and others. Availability of expertise will not be a contsraint.

• Creation of a pool of modern farming and harvesting tools and mechanical implements that can be hired by farmers or collective. This ensure access to contemporary equipment at low involvement level for the farmer.

• Small retail facilities where the basic needs can be purchased, something along the lines of a Convenience Store, but can be enlarged to carry Apparel, Electronics and Consumer Durable's if the market so develops.

• Offer a place of meeting or social gatherings to conduct small family gatherings etc.

• The other opportunities are seemingly limitless and need to be explored. Farmers themselves would have ideas on what services they would like.


Others / General

A detailed study of the cropping patterns and the storage complexities need to be instituted. Grain value increases with age and hence this factor needs to clearly addressed, so that best prices can be achieved. Further, grains of different variety are grown on the same land during the different growing seasons, so such complexities need also be factored in. Finally, and perhaps most the challenging, one needs to size the grain elevator right. Too small and it will be overwhelmed in a couple of seasons, and too large will result in longer break-evens.

A team of agricultural scientists, engineers, merchants, farmers and business teams needs to be formed and detailed feasibility studies need to be undertaken. One dreams of the day when each district in each state has at least one grain elevator, a dream that has the possibility of contributing enormously toward poverty alleviation and abatement of hunger in this nation.

Needless to say, efforts need to be made to attract the best talent to manage and operate this facility. Thus, comfortable living quarters, medical facilities and remunerative salaries to the Agricultural Graduates and Engineers required to maintain this facility will be essential.


Additional reading:

India wastes about Rs 13,300 crore worth fruits, vegetables in a year: report

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/india-wastes-about-rs-13-300-crore-worth-fruits-vegetables-in-a-year-report-452230

Storage insects and their management

http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/crop_protection/crop_prot_crop_sto_insect.html

Insect damage to farm-stored grain

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05545.html#top

F.D.A. Finds 12% of U.S. Spice Imports Contaminated - NYTimes.com. India has been named as one of the supplier markets where this problem is prevalent.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/health/12-percent-of-us-spice-imports-contaminated-fda-finds.html?_r=0