My Not So Called Dream Internship @ FCI

“Hope is a good thing and good things never die”. With these motivating words, I started my journey of summer internship with FCI, DO, Rajkot. Induction Day was quite eventful meeting all senior managers and employees (Not to forget: My Mentor (youngest &hottest @FCI)). I was briefed about the company and its functioning. Next moment I was asked “What kind of project will you like to handle?” I murmured as if FCI have got a pipeline of projects under its belt. After a rigorous brainstorming, I chose a project related to “Procurement of Wheat” as being an agri-business management student and this would be a good learning on-field experience with farmers. Everyone seemed to be quite happy with my decision.

Next day, I reported at Ganteshwar depot and met Depot manager there. I learnt what kind of critical work is carried out in a depot, because it is connected with the overall growth of FCI as an organization. Godowns looked decent and properly handled.

My actual internship started with a voyage to Wankaner, 60 kms away from Rajkot where heavy procurement was going on. I reported there to Mr. Gaurav Chaturvedi (Depot Manager), a prototype gujju who was not willing to entertain me for the next one month. I found a good friend in Mr. Anand Pareekh (Technical Assistant & a new recruit) who helped at every stage of my internship to know the technicalities of procurement, storage and distribution.

I reported at APMC, Wankaner and met Mr. P.M Kavar (Quality Control Manager) and Mr. V.L Joshi (Accounts Manager) who were deputed in mandi to carry out the procurement project. I joined them in the project and looked after the daily purchase of wheat. Those two bastards felt quite happy and loaded me with all their assignments.

My job in the mandi was to check the quality of wheat according to technical standards and specifications, packaging, transportation, billing and cheque payment to the farmers. Lot of paper work was done by me during that one month (including purchase bill, acceptance note, weight check memo, acceptance register, payment register). I also looked after two rake operations while my stay there. It was an amazing experience talking to the farmers and paying cheques into their hands.

One day, QC Manager was out of station and I had to look after all the operations. I rejected produce brought by two farmers as it was not falling under technical specifications. This news spread like fire and I was forced to purchase that weight. (Because everyone’s commission is linked to it and I directly attacked their tummies). I was disappointed and left wankaner by completing all the job formalities. But my overall experience in Wankaner was good.

I came back to Rajkot and explained all the progress of project to my mentor Miss Navneet Sandhu (Area Manager). She was very happy with the progress and in return, loaded with one more assignment that looked challenging. I had to work on Financial Accounting Package (FAP) and prepare payment invoices of the farmers related to procurement. FAP has been the biggest reason for higher attrition rates in FCI because of its unfriendly nature. I too found it difficult in handling the software and would be able to make only 7-8 invoices on a daily basis.

One day, I had a big fight with the peon as he stopped me from entering the computer room. I reported a complaint to Security Manager, but rather supporting me, he too abused me by saying that “You are not a management trainee, you are a project trainee. You are not entitled to touch anything out here as it will lead to leakage of important documents.” I looked up and asked God “What did I do wrong here in this case?” My frustration level was rising and motivation level was declining. I somehow completed my project, though not in full term and submitted the project report to my mentor.

My overall experience of Internship was good except those two glitches. My time spent in Wankaner will be memorable for whole life.

 

[NileshLathia]

FCI is the second largest food grain management PSU in Asia.

Your point of view of looking at the people(which is known by the
adjectives/ bad-words used
by you for officer/officials, which refers to your personal culture)
is very narrow at work
place/ institutes. Hence, you would find very few to learn even while
you had been sent to
Oxford university or Microsoft Corporation - due to your narrow
vision. It refers that you
behaved like you were in college campus or wedding ceremony or battle.
The prototype gujju you have mentioned, you must know what it means to
be referred to as
“prototype Bihari” and what impression it makes in general. Look at
you, how you looked with
rock star style hancky on the head and Robert (t silent) looks.
You have failed to earn faith / confidence of the staff for access to
the vital data of the
institute – no institute exposes the data to any foreign body- its
general protocol.
This office has had projects in pipeline but you are too little to
talk with about.
You knew by working for few days (actually few minutes) - how it is
difficult to work on
field as FCI staff.

Any way, friend.
I am sorry to mention that you seemed to be weak to handle any project
and it was proved.
You were behaving so generously with everybody – seemed you had very
good background but was
it hypocrite?
You should widen your vision to be a good learner and re-think your
attitude, may this help.
All the best for future.

 

[Dhruv Bindhani]

Summer Internship Summary: FCI, Rajkot (Approx. 400 words)


My summer internship at Food Corporation of India (FCI), Divisional Office Rajkot, began with optimism and energy. The induction was warm, highlighted by interactions with senior officials and my mentor, the youngest Area Manager there. Tasked with choosing a project, I selected “Wheat Procurement” — a relevant topic for an agri-business student looking to gain field exposure.


I was first assigned to the Ganteshwar depot to understand the logistics, after which I was sent to Wankaner, a key procurement center 60 km away. While the depot manager initially showed little interest in guiding me, I was fortunate to be mentored informally by Mr. Anand Pareekh, who walked me through procurement procedures, storage, and transportation.


At the Wankaner APMC, I joined the procurement team to monitor wheat quality, packaging, transport, and payments. I handled documentation, including purchase bills, payment registers, weight memos, and also participated in two rake operations. Interacting directly with farmers and handing over payment cheques was an enriching experience.


However, field realities hit hard. On one occasion, I had to reject subpar wheat, only to be pressured into accepting it due to the vested interests of local officials, whose commissions were affected. Though disappointed, I completed my formalities and returned to Rajkot.


Back at the divisional office, my mentor appreciated my fieldwork and assigned me to work on the Financial Accounting Package (FAP) — a notoriously difficult software responsible for high attrition at FCI. Despite challenges, I managed to process 7–8 invoices daily.


Not all experiences were smooth. A conflict with the peon over access to the computer room escalated unnecessarily, with even the security manager dismissing me as “just a project trainee.” That moment was disheartening, but I persisted and submitted my project report.


Despite a few unpleasant incidents, the internship gave me hands-on experience in procurement and financial processes, along with important life lessons on dealing with bureaucracy and ethical dilemmas. My time in Wankaner — working with farmers, handling real-time procurement, and learning operational nuances — will always stand out as the most valuable and memorable part of my internship.

 

[Simran Rai]

Thank you for sharing your candid and engaging account of your summer internship at FCI, DO Rajkot. Your story beautifully captures both the excitement and the challenges that come with hands-on fieldwork in agri-business. The opportunity to engage directly with procurement processes, interact with farmers, and handle operational responsibilities like quality checks and financial documentation provided you with invaluable real-world exposure. It is commendable that you navigated a tough environment—managing tasks independently in the mandi and adapting to a complex system like the Financial Accounting Package (FAP)—with resilience. While your experience was not without its share of difficulties, including conflicts and bureaucratic hurdles, your dedication to learning and pushing through those moments stands out. What shines through this narrative is your adaptability, your commitment to the project, and your ability to find learning even in adversity. This internship clearly gave you a deeper understanding of supply chain realities and the human dynamics involved in public sector organizations.​