Direct Union govt officials to advance Paddy procurement, Stalin to Modi

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct officials of the Union Agriculture department to advance the procurement of paddy by one month.

"Normally, the paddy harvesting season in late September or early October would coincide with both South West Monsoon and North East Monsoon leading to yield loss or massive crop damage due to inundation during cyclones. But, this year, due to these proactive steps taken by the State government, farmers are confident of harvesting their Kuruvai paddy commencing from the last week of August, this year. Hence, I (Stalin) request that suitable instructions may kindly be issued to the department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to advance the procurement of paddy by one month, from September 1, this year, instead of October to safeguard the interest of farmers of Tamil Nadu," said Stalin, in a DO letter.

Stalin also said that for the first time since Independence, the Mettur dam was opened for Kuruvai paddy cultivation on May 24, this year, ahead of the conventional date of June 12. Due to the judicious use of irrigation water during the last paddy season and due to beneficial rains, the storage position of Mettur reservoir is quite comfortable this year.

In anticipation, the State government had issued orders on April 08, this year, to take up desilting work of the main canals and sub-canals for a length of 4,964.11 Km in Cauvery Delta districts at an outlay of Rs 80 crore and sanctioned an agri input package worth Rs 61 crore to farmers of the region. Quality seeds of high yielding paddy varieties and fertilisers have been mobilised in all the needy places and farmers have been advised to complete the transplantation of Kuruvai Paddy before the end of June, itself, added Stalin.