Social media posts claiming that Adani Logistics Limited has established a food silo in the aftermath of the three farm and agriculture-related bills passing Parliament, are false. The claims accompany a picture of an Adani Logistics-controlled silo in Punjab's district of Moga, on the same billboard as the Food Corporation of India [FCI]. The silo is 13 years old, as stated by a company official and various media reports, and is not recent as being claimed.
The image can be seen below.
The claims on Twitter state:
| Hindi (Original) | English (Translated) |
किसानों का धर्ना खत्म नहि हुवा अदानी ने अपना बोड़ लगा दिया इसीलिए संसद में बिना पूछे बिल पास कर दि सरकार | Farmers have not even finsihed their agitation that Adani has put up their board. This is why the government passed the bill without asking Parliament |
बिल पास हुए 2 दिन नहीं हुए ये बोर्ड पहले लगा दिया ,, अध्यादेश अदानी ने लिखकर दिए थे @nstomar और @narendramodi जी को शायद। | Not even two days have passed since passage of the bill and they [Adani] have put up their board first. Seems like the orders were written by Adani to Narendra Tomar and Narendra Modi. |
The claims build into the backlash the government is facing over seemingly controversial method through which the bills were passed through Rajya Sabha, that got 8 opposition MPs suspended, and the ongoing farmer agitations against the bill. It also builds on the perceived close proximity of the Gautam Adani-promoted group to the Modi-led government.The agitating farmers believe that the passage of three farm-related bills through Parliament would pave the way for corporations to exploit them, with Shiromani Akali Dal MP - Harsimrat Kaur Badal - resigning from government as Union Minister for Agriculture and Food Processing over the issue.
FactCheck
The Adani silo in the Dagru village in Moga in question has not been put up after the passage of the bills. Rather, it was set up in 2007, providing silo solution to the FCI.
BOOM contacted an official of Adani Logistics for a comment.
"The construction of which started in 2005 and completed in 2007 when Adani won a tender under a national scheme came up in year 2000", said Puneet Mehndiratta, Vice President, Terminal Operations, Adani Agri Logistics Ltd, adding that the board was put up him. He rubbished claims that such projects could come up overnight [after passage of the bill], stating that they take 2 years till fruition.
Farmers harvest wheat, which is procured and paid by the FCI within 48 - 72 hours, with Adani logistics acting a custodian of this wheat. The grain remains a property of the FCI, with Adani offering more efficient solutions for the grain when compared with traditional mandies, according to the company. The company has highlighted its arrangement with the FCI on its website too.
The Moga silo has also been mentioned in news reports before the farm bills were introduced, in another sign that the development is not recent. A Financial Express story from 2008 talks about Adani's silo business breaking even in 5-6 years. A story in the Mint from 2015 highlights Adani's plans to stay ahead in the sphere of agriculture.