Chennai, July 18:
Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday called upon the State government to immediately shift paddy bags stacked at Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs) to storage facilities and rice mills, warning that delays were causing acute distress to farmers in the Cauvery Delta districts.
In a statement, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president said summer paddy cultivation had been carried out across nearly 1.6 lakh acres in districts such as Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai and Ariyalur since April. While harvesting began in late June and over half the area has already been covered, procurement has reportedly been disrupted for more than 10 days.
Anbumani attributed the situation to inadequate planning by the government. He said over 800 procurement centres had been opened across the delta, many in open spaces, each holding between 15,000 and 20,000 paddy bags. He cautioned that any intensification of the southwest monsoon could damage the stocks, resulting in heavy losses for farmers.
Questioning the lack of contingency measures, he pointed out that warehouses were already full and rice mills were struggling to handle existing stocks. He suggested that temporary storage options, including marriage halls, could have been utilised to ease the burden.
Recalling similar losses last year when paddy stored in the open was damaged by rains, Anbumani urged the government to act on a war footing. He called for the immediate transport of paddy from procurement centres to warehouses, and onward to rice mills, to ensure uninterrupted procurement and safeguard farmers’ livelihoods.