FSD EGMORE

DONE BY:
NANDHINI.M.S

SOUNDARIYA.N

SAMYUKTHA.S

SWATHY.S

VENKATADHARSHINI.P.C

II B.Sc MICROBIOLGY
ETHIRAJ COLLEGE FOR WOMEN
CHENNAI
INTRODUCTION:

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is an organization created and run by the

Government of India and also run by state Governments. It is one of the
largest corporations in India and probably the largest supply chain
management in Asia (second in the world).The FCI was setup under the Food
Corporation's Act 1964,in order to fulfill following objectives of the Food Policy:

 Effective price support operations for safeguarding the interests of the farmers.
 Distribution of food grains throughout the country for public distribution
system.
 Maintaining satisfactory level of operational and buffer stocks of food grains to
ensure National Food Security.

FCI has been divided into 5 zones viz. North, South, East, West & North-East with a
Zonal Office in each zone.

OBJECTIVES OF FCI:

 To provide farmers profitable prices.

 To make food grains available at reasonable prices especially to the vulnerable
section of the society.
 To maintain buffer stocks.
 To intervene in market for price stabilization.

FUNCTIONS OF FCI:

Food is the basic need which the requirement of the human being.FCI performs the
function of preserving and storing the large quantities of food grains by creating
godowns/warehouses which are then transported to ration shops/public distribution
systems(PDS).

 Each year, the Food Corporation of India purchases roughly 15 to 20 percent of

India's wheat output and 12 to 15 percent of its rice output. The purchases are made
from the farmers at the rates declared by the Government of India. This rate is called
MSP (Minimum Support Price).The MSP is announced by the government every year
before the sowing season. This helps the farmers to plan their agricultural activity and
increase production. There is no limit for procurement in terms of volume, any
quantity can be procured by FCI (Food Corporation of India).

FCI undertakes movement of food grains in order to: 

 Evacuate stocks from surplus regions

 Meet the requirements of deficit regions
  Create buffer stocks in deficit regions 

Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh are the surplus States in terms of wheat
procurement vis-a-vis their own consumption. Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh/
Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha are surplus States in terms of rice procurement
vis-à-vis their own consumption. Surplus stocks of wheat and rice available in these
States are moved to deficit States to meet the requirements as well as to create buffer
stocks. Movement of food grains is undertaken by Rail, Road and Waterways.

FSD EGMORE:

The Food storage depot (FSD) in Egmore is one of the two storage depots present in
Chennai and has a capacity of 19500 it consists totally of 6 sheds. It is mainly used to
store rice and wheat procured from states like Andhra Pradesh which are then
transported to public distribution system (PDS).

GRAIN STORAGE STRUCTURE:

In India, surplus food grains are accumulated in the warehouses owned by the Food
Corporation of India (FCI).They have a network of storage depots strategically located
all over India. These depots include silos and an indigenous method developed by
FCI, called Cover and Plinth (CAP).

CAP storage is a term given to storage of food grains in the open with adequate
precautions such as rat and damp proof plinths, use of Dunnage and covering of stacks
with specially fabricated polythene covers etc. FCI has 30.52million tonnes(owned &
hired) of storage capacity in over 1820 godowns all over India CAP Storage (Cover
and Plinth) involves the construction of brick pillars to a height of 14" from the
ground, with grooves into which wooden crates are fixed for the stacking of bags of
food grains. The stacks are covered with 250 micron LDPE sheets from the top and all
four sides. Food grains such as wheat, maize, gram, paddy, and sorghum are generally
stored in CAP(cover and plinth) storage for 6-12 month periods.

It is the most economical storage structure and is being widely used by the FCI for
bagged grains. These structures can be fabricated in less than 3 weeks. It is an
economical way of storage on a large scale

STORAGE & PRESERVATION OF FOOD GRAINS:

The storage function assumes huge importance in an organization such as FCI because
of its requirement to hold huge inventory of food grains over a significant period of
time. Preservation also plays an important role in order to keep the food grains free
from pest and rodent attack. A scientific storage is required so as to avoid damage and
wastage of grains.
Factors affecting the preservation of grains are:

ABIOTIC FACTORS:

 Temperature
 Moisture
 Natural calamities

BIOTIC FACTORS:

 Insects & microorganisms

 Rodents
 Birds

SALIENT FEATURES FOR CARE OF GRAINS DURING STORAGE :

A. CLEANLINESS: The godowns should be swept regularly at least twice in a week and
kept in neat tidy and hygienic condition. All webs on the wall roof, alleyway & bags
should be removed regularly and bags should be properly brushed and cleaned. No
loose grains should lie on naked floor.

B. PROVISION OF SAMPLE BAGS: Adequate number of sample bags should be

provided in each godown. All the samples drawn from the stacks for the purpose of
inspection should also be kept in these sample bags.

C. AERATION: Doors, Windows and ventilators of the godowns should be kept open
on clear/ dry / sunny days for aeration.

D. SEPARATE STORAGE FOR DIFFERENT COMMODITIES: Each commodity should be

stored in separate godown which may not always be possible. But it is important to
remember is that hazardous goods and commodities requiring different storage and
preservation methods are to be stored in separate godowns.

E. DISINFESTATION OF FOOD GRAINS: This is done by two methods - prophylactic

and curative treatments.

Prophylactic treatment: Prophylactic treatment to stacks/godowns is done as a

precaution method to prevent infestation by pests.
G. BRUSHING OF BAGS BEFORE SPRAYING / FUMIGATION: Before stocks are dusted
or sprayed, bags should be brushed as this helps to remove the collected dust, webs,
cocoons, eggs etc. that might be sticking to the bags. After fumigation the bags should
also be brushed thoroughly to remove dead pest and residue of fumigant.

H. FORTNIGHTLY INSPECTION: Godowns and stocks should be thoroughly inspected

at least once a fortnight. During rains the inspection should be frequent. Inspection
should consist of:-

I. Check-up godown walls, roof and floor.

II. Check-up peripheral, top and bottom layer bags in case of bag storage.
III. Check-up of representative sample of each stack.
IV. Check-up of stocks of different depths/sides in case of bulk storage.

J. FUMIGATION: It is also known as the curative treatment. In case of infestation, the

stocks should be fumigated with Aluminium Phosphide (AlP) under Gas Proof covers
as per following norms:- Dosage-3 tablets or 9 grams per MT of stocks The exposure
period is about 5-7 days. Wherever Trogoderma larvae are present the doses may be
raised by 50%.One round of pre-monsoon fumigation of all the stocks in covered
stores be ensured.

INSECT PESTS:

Many grain pests preferentially eat out grain embryos, thereby reducing the protein
content of feed grain and lowering the percentage of seeds which germinate. Grain
insect pests may be divided into primary and secondary pests. Primary grain insects
have the ability to attack whole, unbroken grains, while secondary pests attack only
damaged grain, dust and milled products. Some of the insect pests found in the stored
grain are:

PRIMARY GRAIN PESTS

 Lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica)
 Granary weevil (Sitophilus granaries)
 Rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae)

SECONDARY GRAIN PESTS

 Rust-red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum)

 Warehouse beetle (Trogoderma variable)
 Saw-toothed grain beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis)

SAMPLE ANALYSIS:
Analysis is done to know the proportion of various impurities and constituents of
grain. A representative sample is used for the analysis. Analysis comprises of the
following steps:
 Visual inspection
 Determination of moisture content
 Assessment of impurities
 Chemical Analysis
VISUAL INSPECTION:
Test sample is to be examined visually for general conditions such as odour, colour, as
well as insect and microbial infestation if any .The main objective is to determine
whether sample is wholesome, clean, dry and in sound merchantable condition.
MOISTURE DETERMINATION:
Moisture is an important constituent of grain. Accurate moisture content testing is
important in managing and marketing grains. Moisture meters are used to measure the
percentage of water in a given substance. This information is used to determine if the
material is ready for use, unexpectedly wet or dry, or otherwise in need of further
inspection.
The optimum grain MC depends on the desired storage duration

ASSESSMENT OF IMPURITIES:
CATEGORIZATION OF FOOD GRAINS:

CATEGORIZATION OF FOOD GRAINS (RAW & PAR BOILED RICE):

Refraction Category
in %
A B C D

Damage Up to 3 Above 3 Above 4 Having Loose

bran with
Up to 4 Up to 5
more than
Discolour Up to 3 Above 3 Above 5 0.5%or
emitting
Up to 5 Up to 7 unpleasant
smell

WATER TREATMENT PLANT (WTP)-PUZHAL

The main purpose of water treatment plant is to treat the raw water such that
the quality of water is improved and is made more acceptable for a specific end-use. The end
use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water
recreation or many other uses, including being safely returned to the environment. Water
treatment removes contaminants and undesirable components, or reduces their concentration
so that the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. Raw water is water found in the
environment that has not been treated and does not have any of its minerals, ions, particles,
bacteria, or parasites removed. Raw water includes rainwater, ground water, water from
infiltration wells, and water from bodies like lakes and rivers.

The water treatment plant in Puzhal was designed in 1996 and has a capacity of 300 MLD
(MLD = Million litres per day ;1 million litres = 10 lakh litres).The plant treats the water
from Puzhal lake which stores Krishna river water received from Andhra
Pradesh through Poondi Reservoir and the Sholavaram Tank. To meet the drinking water
needs of Chennai. The Puzhal lake has a capacity of 3,300 million cubic feet when full.

JONES TOWER:
Jones Tower was built in the year of 1881 in Puzhal lake. It is used to measure the depth of
the water level in the lake. High level Electric motors are used to inlet the water from the lake
to the tank before the cleaning process.
The water which is to be treated is collected from the lake through the Jones tower which
then goes through filter bed and finally reaches the inlet bay located at the plant with the help
of raw water motor pumps (350hp each).the water moves by gravity to the above mentioned
locations.

PRE-TREATMENT
The water flowing through the inlet bay undergoes pre-treatment. The pre-treatment consists
of three stages- addition of alum, chorine and lime.
1. ALUM
Raw water is more turbid than treated water, hence alum [Aluminium sulphate
(Al2(SO4)2.18H2O)] is used to reduce the turbidity of untreated water. Pure form of alum is
diluted with water in the saturation tank to make 10% solution of alum before it is mixed with
raw water. The alum aids in the coagulation of the suspended particles like clay, silt, organic
and inorganic matter, micro organisms, etc. Hence it acts as a coagulant. When alum is added
to untreated water it forms flocculation. This floc attracts other fine particles and suspended
material in raw water and they settle down at the bottom. The water over this sediment is
almost clean other than some fine particles dissolved in it. The permissible limit of turbidity
is 5 NTU.

2.LIME
Lime is Calcium oxide (CaO).It is added to change or correct the pH level of the raw water.
The powdered form of lime is converted into 10% solution of milk of lime by mixing or
diluting with water. The amount of lime added is usually one-third of the the amount of alum
added. According to WHO standards, the pH level of the treated water should be between6.5-
8.5.So, if the pH level increases or decreases, lime is added to maintain the standard pH level
of the water.

3.CHLORINE
Chlorine (Cl) is used to disinfect or to kill the micro organisms present in raw water. Chlorine
is used in both liquid and gaseous form. Moreover chlorine is also added in the later stages.
All the three are added through pipelines to the water coming from the inlet bay.

JAR TEST
The amount of the above three chemicals to be added is measured by performing the “JAR
TEST”. The purpose of the test is to estimate the minimum coagulant dose required to
achieve certain water quality goals. This test is done every day to find to amount of chemicals
to be added. The chemicals are measured in ppm(parts per million).

PROCEDURE
Measure 1000ml of the sample (raw water) in each of the six beakers and place them in the
multiple stirrers and start the motor of the stirrer.
Add graded doses of alum, lime and chlorine to the beakers.
Agitate for about 2 minutes for 100 rpm and 20 minutes for 20 rpm.
Observe the time needed for the appearance of flocculation and also observe the size and
quantity of the floc at the end. Allow to settle for 1 hour.
Using a pipette, apportion of supernatant is withdrawn and checked whether the colour is
below10-20 units and turbidity below 5-10 units.
Repeat the procedure with another range of chemical doses.
Finally the required amount of chemical dose for the day is determined.