Thanjavur district farmers have expressed anguish after paddy bags stacked at an open storage yard in Pattisvaram, near Kumbakonam, were drenched in rain and reportedly went to waste.
According to local accounts, paddy procured from areas around Kumbakonam has been stored at this privately owned open yard by the Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection-related trading agency. The facility is said to have a storage capacity of about 30,000 tonnes.
Farmers alleged that the bags have been kept for months without being sent for milling. Several gunny bags were found torn, with grains spilled on the ground, while rain-soaked grains were seen sprouting.
The situation worsened after around 11 cm of rainfall in the Kumbakonam region on Thursday night, leading to waterlogging inside the open yard. Farmers said they were distressed to see paddy bags lying soaked amid stagnant rainwater.
They urged authorities to act and put an end to what they described as negligence that is wasting paddy harvested through hard labour.
