Paddy procurement in Tamil Nadu has slowed this season as district collectors are waiting for field estimates from the Revenue Department before permitting the opening of direct procurement centres, according to farmers.
Under a new instruction issued this year, revenue officials must calculate how many acres in each locality are ready for harvest and the likely quantity to be procured, and submit the figures to the collector. Only after the collector’s order can the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC), which procures paddy as an agent of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), open the centres.
Farmers say delays in surveys and documentation have meant that, despite government permission to open 4,315 centres, only about 400 have started functioning so far. In several places, harvested paddy has been kept for around 15 days, with farmers unable to transport it to procurement points or store it safely.
With intermittent rains reported in many areas, farmers fear rising moisture levels could spoil the grain and even trigger sprouting. They warn that unless the issue is addressed quickly before the next spell of rain, the state’s rice supply could face serious disruption.
The procurement season is typically fixed by FCI from October 1 to September 30, during which TNCSC buys kuruvai, samba, thaladi and summer paddy at support prices and incentives announced by governments. Farmers also alleged that bribery had been prevalent in previous years at procurement centres, and said a post-change directive against collecting bribes has altered the functioning of the system.
