Delay in procurement of kuruvai paddy by Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) at the direct purchase centres in some places in Thanjavur district has affected farmers who allege that many bags of paddy have sprouted.
They claim that their produce was being turned away at the DPCs on charges of “excess moisture content” than permissible following which protests were held in certain villages.
With scarce water availability forcing only those with borewells to take up kuruvai paddy cultivation in delta districts, farmers had to endure much hardship in seeing through the season in Thanjavur district. Now, harvest of kuruvai paddy crop was going on in full swing in most of the areas and the TNCSC had opened scores of DPCs where farmers could trade in their produce at their locality.
At Madigai village near here, officials manning the DPC turned away produce of farmers who brought in paddy on Sunday ostensibly because of higher moisture content than the sanctioned 17 per cent. Sporadic and moderate rain had been lashing Thanjavur district over the past three days and the paddy waiting to be sold at the Madigai DPC started sprouting much to the anger of farmers who staged a demonstration. Officials made special arrangements to procure the paddy that had not sprouted.
“Despite rains, we had dried the paddy with great difficulty and took it to the DPC where the officials did not procure citing scarcity of gunny bags on Sunday. We had to keep the paddy in our bags at the DPC itself and after the Monday rains, paddy in many bags had started sprouting now. Those that had not sprouted will have a lot more moisture than permitted and in both ways farmers suffer as again the officials are rejecting our paddy,” says Mani, farmer of Kattukurichi village. Because of the problem, farmers resorted to demonstrations at Kakkarai and Sellampatti villages in Thanjavur district.
Similar is the case in some other areas of Thanjavur and the district administration had counselled the TNCSC officials to adopt a lenient approach in procuring paddy with moisture content from farmers. TNCSC Senior Regional Manager P. Manimaran conceded that there was problem with gunny bags availability at Madigai and the problem had been looked into. He said that efforts were being made to procure paddy from farmers without putting them to trouble.
Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam district secretary Samy Natarajan called upon the officials to procure paddy with up to 21 per cent moisture content after getting the consent of the Food Corporation of India. Automated paddy driers must be installed in all major DPCs in the region to prevent such problems in procurement, he said.
Tamil Maanila Congress Farmers’ Wing State president Puliyur Nagarajan demanded that the State government immediately address the moisture content issue during the current kuruvai season as rain would add to the normal moisture content. Instead of cheque, farmers would prefer cash disbursal for their produce, he said.
Paddy was not purchased because of shortage of gunny bags
Farmers say paddy had become wet because of sudden rain
