Clear 10 lakh paddy bag pile-up at DPCs: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss

CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss has urged the State government to take immediate steps to procure and safely transport more than 10 lakh bags of paddy lying at Direct Paddy Procurement Centres (DPCs) across the Cauvery Delta, warning that the stocks could be damaged if rain hits the region.

In a statement, Anbumani said paddy bags were lying unprocured in several parts of the Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai districts, including Papanasam, Ammapettai, Thiruvaiyaru, Mannargudi, Kudavasal, Nannilam, and Valangaiman.

He alleged that the suspension of procurement was due to the failure to provide sufficient trucks to transport paddy already procured from the DPCs to warehouses. This has disrupted the entire chain of transporting paddy from procurement centres to warehouses and subsequently to rice mills, he said.

Anbumani condemned the government's alleged negligence and lack of planning, stating that farmers had harvested the crop after immense hard work but were now unable to sell their produce within the stipulated period.

With rain forecast in the Cauvery Delta districts over the coming days, he warned that the paddy stocks could be damaged and wasted if immediate action was not taken. He urged the government to arrange transportation on a war footing and clear the accumulated stocks at the procurement centres.

He further pointed out that kuruvai cultivation had already been severely affected by drought, resulting in a shortage of rice and an increase of Rs 10-15 per kg in its price.

In this situation, the government must ensure that farmers' harvested paddy does not go to waste, Anbumani said, urging the authorities to speed up the procurement process.