Warehousing and Storage
The concept of Warehousing was evolved years ago on the recommendation of the Rural Credit Survey Committee set up by the Reserve Bank of India in the year 1951 with the twin objective of providing scientific storage for preservation of agricultural produce and expansion of credit facility through Commercial banks in the rural areas to prevent the farmers from distress sale and also to provide them with inputs in the shape of seeds, fertilizers and agricultural implements.
It was also realized that the adverse effects of frequent fluctuations in the output of food grains following the vagaries of monsoon rain fall in the country can be minimized to some extent through proper storage and distribution. Therefore, on the recommendations of the Rural Credit Survey Committee, the Agricultural Produce (Development and Warehousing) Corporation Act, 1956 came into existence.
Punjab State Warehousing Corporation (PSWC) was established in the year 1958 for the purpose of warehousing of agricultural produce under the Agriculture Produce (Development & Warehousing) Act’1956, which was subsequently replaced by the Warehousing Corporations Act’1962.
As per the Act, PSWC has two Shareholders -- one is the Government of Punjab and the other is Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) with 50% share each. PSWC’s Board of Directors consists of 11 Directors nominated by Government of Punjab and 5 by the CWC. The Chairman and the Managing Director of PSWC are appointed by the Government of Punjab.
Amongst the primary Warehousing Corporation, PSWC is one of the oldest State Warehousing Corporation in the country. It was started with a couple of Warehousing Centers and has now grown upto the extent of 120+ Warehousing Centers at present with a total storage capacity of 55 Lakhs MTs.
As a Statutory Public Warehouse Keepers for agricultural produce and stocks in its Warehouses; PSWC is one of the Public Sector Enterprises having the widest network of 120 Warehouses in the State of Punjab, having total storage capacity of 55 LMT (29 million Sqft) approx. Thus, PSWC is the largest State Warehousing Corporations of India which accounts for more than 1/3rd (33.63%) of total combined storage capacity of all State Warehousing Corporations in India.
As custodians of high - value and vulnerable food-grain inventory, it has always been PSWC’s assurance to be responsible and to deliver on the promise by adhering to high standards of quality.
PSWC has introduced measures for providing economical services to the farmers to store their primary produce. PSWC encourages to avail the facilities of scientific storage of notified commodities to include food grains, fertilizers, industrial goods and cotton bales.
Not just warehousing of notified commodities in the State, PSWC also provides logistics support to the export/import merchandise by offering Roadside Customs Notified Container Freight Stations/Inland Container Depots at the Industrial Nodes of the State at Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bhatinda and DeraBassi. These Dry Ports of PSWC are Customs’ Stations having Public Authority status to provide logistics support ‘under one roof’ to the containerized cargoes arising/arriving from/to the State.