From school through to college to Universities, I listened to my teachers and learnt a lot — but at this stage of my life, I am learning while teaching.
Recently, NIBSCOM (National Institute of Banking Studies and Corporate Management) invited me for two sessions on Bulk Storage and Rice Milling industries from a future investments point of view. Managers to Senior Managers were there to listen to my views on the future of these industries — but their questions were equally enlightening.
Thanks to Dr. M.P. Singh of NIBSCOM, the interactions were very smooth.
The Rice Milling Journey
I shared how I personally witnessed Basmati rice exports grow from Rs 650 million in 1986 to $5.8 billion today.
All credit goes to the millers, who in turn expressed gratitude to the bankers for making working capital loans more accessible.
Now, it is time for non-basmati millers to raise the bar.
The Future of Bulk Storage
As regards bulk storage, the country is poised to invest about Rs 2.5 lakh crores in the coming years to create:
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60 million tons of centralized bulk storage capacity, and
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70 million tons at the farm level.
I could clearly observe the salivating faces of the bankers at the thought of this huge investment opportunity.
Balancing Technology & Commerce
It was indeed tough for me to reduce my technical thoughts and simplify the concepts — but in the end, it probably justified my techno-commercial reasoning.
A sincere thanks to Dr. M.P. Singh for this unique opportunity.