Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Paddy procurement brisk in delta districts

S. Vydhianathan

It is likely to cross 12 lakh tonnes in the current season

CHENNAI: Paddy procurement in delta districts is gaining momentum and on an average about 30,000 tonnes of paddy is arriving at various direct purchase centres of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation. The corporation purchased 4.10 lakh tonnes till Friday and at this rate, the total procurement may cross 12 lakh tonnes in the current season as against 10 lakh tonnes during the last samba season.

Procurement had crossed one lakh tonnes each in Tiruvarur and Thanajvur districts. While 1.64 lakh tonnes had been procured in Tiruvarur, it was about 1.21 lakh tonnes in Thanjavur. In Nagapattinam so far 90,000 tonnes had been purchased. With the harvest in full swing, especially in Thanjavur district, paddy arrivals at the DPCs would increase further in the coming weeks, according to corporation officials.

They said they had been hoping to procure more than 15 lakh tonnes in the samba season with good storage in the Mettur Reservoir and normal coverage of paddy. But heavy northeast monsoon rain damaged nearly 50 per cent of the standing crop in Nagapattinam district and 25 per cent in Tiruvarur district affecting the production.

The officials said private merchants were also active in purchasing paddy from farmers, as silk ponni paddy was available in the market. Private traders were ready to pay Rs. 100 more a quintal for this variety. As procured paddy was immediately moved to storage points, ground stock at DPCs at the end of the day was almost nil.

Farmers' complaints

Referring to complaints of farmers that a minimum of Rs. 18 per quintal was deducted by DPC employees from the farmers, the officials said the corporation had formed vigilance committees in the delta districts to monitor the procurement operation. Already 30 employees had been suspended for demanding money from farmers and also for other "malpractices." About the quality norms, they said the corporation was only an agent of the Food Corporation of India and hence it had to follow the norms prescribed by it.

Some farmers associations charged that even if they brought clean paddy, DPC staff wanted to winnow it at the DPCs and charged Rs. 12 per quintal for it. Strict quality norm was only a ruse to drive the farmers to private merchants.

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