By Mary Catherine O'Connor

Apr. 19, 2010—Three years ago, the government of India instituted regulations for the storage of grain harvested and sold in that country. The rules are designed to ensure that only safe, clean grain is sold for food. The Food Corporation of India (FCI), an agency that oversees food grain procurement, storage and distribution operations, enforces the regulations. To comply with the rules, businesses that operate grain storage silos have established systems for testing grain samples, which are then stored in secure, climate-controlled silos until needed.

Adani Grain Logistics, which operates several grain storage facilities in India, has implemented an automated, RFID-based system for receiving, testing and tracking food grain harvested in the states of Haryana and Punjab. The system was tested in April 2007, and was deployed permanently three months later at two grain depots, located in the cities of Kaithal and Moga. Both depots are new, and are owned and operated by Adani.

A truck at the weighbridge

Large agricultural corporations and small local farmers bring grain products to the depots. When a truck driver delivering grain enters one of the facilities, he is directed to a testing station, where a sample of the grain is tested for several quality factors, such as humidity level, to determine for how long it can be stored safely. If the grain sample passes the quality tests, the driver is directed to a bay, where he dumps the load into a large receptacle that holds the grain until it is loaded into a silo. The driver is then directed to another area of the facility, to be paid before leaving.