TIRUCHY: While the harvest of summer crops is almost completed, the Delta farmers have been longing for prompt procurement and immediate movement of procured paddy so that the stagnation of paddy in open procurement centres can be avoided.
However, with the haphazard planning persisting, the procured and stocked paddy in open DPCs has remained stagnant in the centres, resulting in more paddy stocks awaiting procurement.
The farmers have charged that there is no proper planning about the procurement process, thereby delaying the movement of procured paddy. The failure to clear stocks from godowns to the hulling centres is also contributing to the problem, which farmers fear will lead to damage to both procured and non-procured paddy.
The short-term summer crop cultivation in around 1.60 lakh acres across the Delta had commenced from April this year, and the harvest has been almost completed.
Initially, there was a procurement of 1,000 bags per day in almost all the DPCs, but the number has reduced in due course of time, and presently, each DPC hardly procure 500 to 600 bags per daySami Natarajan, general secretary, TNFA
The procurement process started during the last week of June and is expected to last till August. However, the DPCs, which started to procure paddy, delayed moving them into warehouses controlled by the TNCSC.
Apart from the DPCs, the state government had also established Point of Procurement along with the open DPCs and each one was entitled to procure 1,000 bags per day.
“Initially, there was a procurement of 1,000 bags per day in almost all the DPCs, but the number has reduced in due course of time and presently, each DPC hardly procure 500 to 600 bags per day,” said Sami Natarajan, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association.
Apart from charging for procuring less quantity, Sami Natarajan raised concerns about the movement of procured paddy from the DPCs to warehouses.
“We hear that the paddy stocks are piling up in the centres due to the delay in sending them for hulling. The procured paddy used to be moved for hulling soon after the procurement, but this time, the movement for hulling is unusually delayed, and we suspect some political reason behind this,” Natarajan added.
Natarajan further said that there are so many open DPCs in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Mayiladuthurai where the summer crop procurement is going on, but the procured paddy stocks are still stagnant in the open yard, and the DPC staff, citing delay in the movement of paddy to the warehouse, avoid procuring more paddy from farmers to prevent accumulation.
“This is purely mismanagement on the part of the government. The traditional practice of moving the procured paddy had been halted and the officials claim that they have been waiting for proper direction from the government. This certainly affects the farmers who need to take care of their harvested paddy until the procurement is done,” Natarajan said.
Supporting the claim, Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan said, the government is responsible for the stagnation of paddy in the DPCs. He charged that the stagnation of paddy is the result of the state government’s inefficiency and inexperience.
“Usually, 40,000 to 45,000 MT paddy is transported to warehouses controlled by TNCSC and they would be sent for hulling immediately but this time, transporting the paddy for hulling is delayed, and this results in the accumulation of paddy stocks in each DPC,” he said.
Vimalnathan cited that the open DPCs in Papanasam, Ammapettai, Kumbakonam and Orathanadu in Thanjavur, Kutralam in Mayiladuthurai, Valangaiman, Needamangalam and Mannargudi in Tiruvarur districts are seen at least 10,000 to 15,000 bags of procured paddy piled up for several days and the DPC staff avoid further procurement as they are responsible for the weight loss, discolour of paddy and other damages.
“We have raised this with the food minister when he visited Delta and explained in detail, and he assured us of sorting out the issue immediately. But even after a month of his visit, the officials claim that they have been waiting for government direction. Since the procurement of paddy is delayed due to uncertainty about the transportation of paddy from DPCs, the farmers are facing risk, and they have been waiting with their stocks of paddy in front of every DPC,” he said.
He also said that the farmers suggested utilising their tractors for the transportation of paddy instead of waiting for the lorry contractors if they fail to operate vehicles.
However, the TNCSC officials, on condition of anonymity, said that there was a bumper harvest during the previous year for both Kuruvai and samba and surpassed the target.
Apart from the yield, which was also good the procured paddy stocks were piled up in the warehouses and the hulling centres could not cope up with the ‘unexpected’ rush of paddy and so the transportation of stocks to the mills was delayed, and this resulted in accumulation in large quantities.
“We have sought the advice of the government to shift the procured paddy from open DPCs initially and wait for the approval for establishing temporary covered DPCs,” an official said.
FACT FILE
1,728: Total number of DPCs in Delta region
257: DPCs in Thanjavur
189: In Tiruvarur
144: In Mayiladuthurai
124: In Nagapattinam
17.8 lak MT: Storage capacity of godowns in Delta
1,000 bags per day: Procurement of paddy in each DPC
500 to 600 bags per day: Present procurement in each DPC
40,000 to 45,000 MT: Usual paddy movement to warehouses
25% and less: Present paddy movement to warehouses