Tamil Nadu has again vested district collectors with the authority to open Direct Paddy Procurement Centres (DPPCs) as per local requirements and carry out paddy procurement, the state government has said.
The clarification comes after reports that an adequate number of procurement centres were not being opened across the state. The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation’s Managing Director, Shilpa Prabhakar Satish, outlined the current season’s status and the steps being taken.
According to the corporation, last year 4,329 DPPCs were opened and 65,16,373 tonnes of paddy were procured from 6,22,487 farmers. In the current year, procurement has been under way since September 1; so far, 487 centres have been opened and 68,795 tonnes have been purchased.
By the same date last year, 870 centres had been opened and 1,69,190 tonnes procured. The corporation said the key reason for the lower figures this season is a reduction in paddy cultivation area compared with the previous procurement season.
Collectors have been instructed to open centres based on district-level demand. The corporation has also appointed monitoring officers through its regional offices to ensure farmers face no hurdles in procurement and that procured paddy is moved within the stipulated time.
