Ministers review paddy procurement, direct swift movement of stocks in delta districts

With northeast monsoon rains intensifying across the delta, Food and Civil Supplies Minister R. Sakkarapani and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Siva V. Meyyanathan on Wednesday reviewed paddy procurement operations and stock movement in Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam districts to ensure timely handling of harvests and protection of procured grain.

At Melaiyur in Kuthalam taluk, the Ministers inspected a Direct Purchase Centre (DPC), accompanied by Mayiladuthurai Collector H. S. Srikanth. Mr. Sakkarapani said the Chief Minister had instructed Collectors in the delta districts to protect procured paddy from rain and ensure its swift movement to TNCSC godowns and rice mills to prevent spoilage.

The procurement price remains ₹2,545 per quintal for Grade A and ₹2,500 for common paddy, with incentives of ₹156 and ₹131, respectively. The moisture limit has been raised to 22%, benefitting farmers during the rainy season.

Tamil Nadu’s 700 rice mills have a milling capacity of 12 lakh metric tonnes per month, and DPCs have been told to handle up to 1,000 sacks each, with dual machinery in busy centres to manage 3,000 sacks daily.

In Mayiladuthurai, 1.19 lakh tonnes of paddy have been procured, of which 93,640 tonnes have already been shifted to godowns. Additional storage has been arranged in private and cooperative warehouses.

In Nagapattinam, Mr. Sakkarapani chaired a review meeting with District Collector P. Akash, and local legislators. So far, 67,815 tonnes have been procured this Kuruvai season, and ₹167.81 crore has been credited to 13,753 farmers. Procurement has increased nineteenfold over last year, with 124 DPCs now functional.

To ease stock movement, 17 freight trains have been allocated, moving 34,000 tonnes of paddy to other regions, including Coimbatore and Tiruppur.

The Minister later inspected the Sikkal DPC, interacted with farmers, and directed officials to expedite procurement before further monsoon impact.