Despite Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation opening up 15 Direct Procurement Centres (DPC) in the district, many farmers prefer selling paddy to private traders as they face practical difficulties in selling their produce at the centres.
Officials at the Department of Agriculture said that paddy is cultivated in about 69,000 acre to 72,000 acre in the district for the current season that was irrigated at Kalingarayan Canal, Thadapalli – Arakankottai Canals, Lower Bhavani Project canals and Mettur East and West Bank canal. Harvesting has commenced in Gobichettipalayam block and Erode that were irrigated by Thadapalli – Arakankottai canals and Kalingarayan canal respectively where 15 centres started functioning from December 19 last year. While Grade A variety of paddy is procured for minimum support price of ₹ 1,905 a quintal, the common variety is purchased for ₹ 1,865 a quintal, officials added.
But farmers prefer selling directly to the traders despite they are getting ₹ 250 to ₹ 300 per quintal less when compared to the procurement price at the centres. Raja alias Krishnan, a farmer from Vairapalayam, said that high cost of transportation and labour cost, waiting time at the centres, officials demanding paddy with 17% moisture content and changing weather conditions prevent them from taking their produce to the centre.
Farmers said that a gunny bag costs ₹ 70 to ₹ 80, while ₹ 10 has to be paid as labour for packing and ₹ 20 per bag for transporting. “We need minimum of 35 bags for packing produce from one acre”, said Mr. Raja, who added that non-availability of labour is a major issue. Another farmer Kuppuswami said that farmers who have tractors, space for drying their produce and workers available with them, are taking their produce to the centre.
Mr. Raja, who sold paddy for ₹ 1,650 a quintal to a trader on Friday, said that trader comes to his field and packs the paddy in gunny bags, weighs it and transports it and pays the money within two days to him. “Hence we prefer selling to private traders”, he added.
