10,000 paddy bundles damaged by rains in procurement centres expose mismanagement: Nainar Nagenthran

CHENNAI: BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Tuesday criticised the ruling DMK government for what he described as administrative negligence that has led to significant losses of paddy across the State after the summer downpour.

He urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to provide immediate compensation to affected cultivators and to prioritise the renovation of dilapidated government paddy procurement centres.

In a statement, Nainar Nagenthran expressed concern over reports that more than 10,000 paddy bundles stored at government paddy procurement centres in districts including Erode, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, and Villupuram were damaged due to summer rains.

"It is heartbreaking to see the toil of our farmers reduced to nothing because of the government's failure to protect their harvests. Is this the much-vaunted Dravidian model—ignoring the backbone of our agrarian economy?" he asked.

The BJP legislative leader further condemned the government's decision to slash the food storage allocation in this year's agriculture budget by 50% compared to the previous year, calling it a "short-sighted move" that has compromised the integrity of essential infrastructure.

Accusing the DMK regime of systemic neglect, he said, "Since the DMK took office, irrigation canals remain unsilted, cultivated areas have shrunk, and paddy fields are repeatedly inundated, even with mild rainfall. Procurement processes are riddled with irregularities, leaving farmers in a state of despair."

Warning of a looming food security crisis, Nainar Nagenthran urged the Chief Minister to act without delay.

"Immediate financial relief must be extended to the affected farmers, and the State's food storage infrastructure must be urgently overhauled," he added.