Can New Grain Storage Technology Reduce India’s Dependence on Chemical Fumigation?

India is testing new ways to protect stored wheat and rice from insects without relying mainly on conventional chemical fumigants. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Food Corporation of India have joined a research programme to develop safer and more sustainable alternatives for large-scale foodgrain storage.

The two organisations signed a memorandum of understanding on September 30. The first phase will run for two years and has a budget of ₹3.28 crore. ICAR-Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology in Ludhiana will conduct field validation at FCI storage sites in Punjab.

Why Grain Storage Needs New Methods

Stored wheat and rice can suffer losses from insects when temperature, moisture and storage conditions favour pest activity. Fumigation is used to control these pests, but repeated chemical use can create resistance and raise concerns about worker exposure, environmental effects and residues.

According to the government, resistance to existing fumigation methods has become a serious concern. Pest resistance frequencies have reached 72% to 100% in some key Indian states, increasing the need for repeated treatments and raising operational costs in storage facilities.

Phosphine has been widely used for stored-grain pest management. It remains an important tool, but its repeated use creates pressure to find additional options. The new ICAR-FCI project will test controlled and modified atmosphere technologies that can work under different storage conditions.

The research will examine nitrogen gas with more than 99% purity for wheat stored in metal silos. It will also test carbon dioxide combined with phosphine for wheat and rice stored in bags at FCI and Central Warehousing Corporation warehouses.

How The New Technology Will Work

Another trial will examine carbon dioxide treatment for wheat and rice stored in bags enclosed within hermetic covers. These covers restrict gas movement, allowing the storage environment to be modified and maintained at conditions designed to control storage pests.

The project is not simply replacing one chemical with another. Researchers will develop operational protocols and test how these methods perform under commercial storage conditions. Field validation is important because a technology that works in controlled experiments must also remain practical at warehouse scale.

ICAR-CIPHET will conduct the first phase in Punjab, where the technologies will be tested at selected FCI storage locations. Researchers will assess their effectiveness and develop standard procedures that can eventually be adapted for wider use across different storage systems.

After the two-year first phase, the project is planned to move into a one-year multi-location trial. Researchers will test the methods across different agro-climatic zones before developing region-specific standard operating procedures for wider adoption.

The project is aimed mainly at large foodgrain storage systems, so farmers will not immediately receive a new fumigation method for use on individual farms. Its larger importance lies in reducing losses after harvest and improving the safety and sustainability of the foodgrain storage chain.

Better storage can also protect the value of crops after farmers have completed production. Wheat and rice can remain in storage for extended periods, making pest control, moisture management and warehouse conditions important for maintaining grain quality until the produce moves into markets or public distribution.

India is also expanding storage capacity. The Department of Food and Public Distribution’s New Storage Policy envisages 131 lakh tonnes of additional storage capacity, including 111 lakh tonnes through states and 20 lakh tonnes through FCI.

As storage capacity expands, pest management becomes more important. More warehouses and longer storage periods require reliable systems that protect grain while limiting unnecessary chemical exposure. New technologies could become useful if they prove effective, affordable and practical under Indian storage conditions.

Technology Can Also Improve Food Security

Reducing storage losses matters beyond individual warehouses. Grain preserved after harvest contributes to national food availability, public distribution and price stability. Better pest management can help ensure that more of the grain procured from farmers remains usable throughout the storage period.

The project also fits into a wider shift towards safer post-harvest management. ICAR has been researching alternatives to conventional chemical pest control, including a patented herbal seed-coating technology developed by ICAR-DMAPR that targets stored-grain pests in seeds and pulses.

For farmers, the immediate priority remains proper drying, clean storage, moisture control and protection from insects and rodents. Large-scale research such as the ICAR-FCI project can complement these basic measures by developing better technologies for the stages where grain enters organised storage systems.

The new project will take time before its results can be used widely. Researchers first need to establish how nitrogen and carbon dioxide treatments perform, what conditions they require and how much they cost. If the trials succeed, India could have more options for protecting stored wheat and rice.