CHENNAI: AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran has urged the Union government to increase the permissible moisture content for paddy procurement from 17 per cent to 22 per cent, citing continuous rainfall and crop damage in several districts.
In a statement, he said reports indicating that the Centre had rejected Tamil Nadu’s request to relax the moisture limit had caused deep disappointment among farmers. He said paddy bags stacked in the open at procurement centres had been soaked due to inadequate storage facilities, resulting in severe losses.
Dhinakaran noted that farmers had expected the Centre to approve the higher moisture limit based on the recommendations of the central team that visited rain-affected regions. He said allegations had also emerged that the State government had not procured paddy at levels comparable to previous years.
He urged the Union government to reconsider its decision and fulfil farmers’ demands, given the heavy rains that have affected the Delta region and other parts of Tamil Nadu.