Demand to consider cut in moisture content during paddy procurement
Farmers owing allegiance to Thanjavur District Cauvery Farmers Protection Association on Thursday spilled paddy in front of the office of the Senior Regional Manager (SRM) of Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) demanding them to relax moisture content in paddy from 17 per cent to 20 per cent while procuring, in the Gaja-hit region.
By : migrator
Update: 2019-01-04 02:55 GMT
Thiruchirapalli
The farmers who assembled in front of the TNCSC office in Thanjavur pointed out that ahead of samba paddy harvest season, a meeting comprising officials of the Agriculture department, Civil Supplies Corporation and farmers was to be held to decide the procurement policy for the season.
However, they added that for the last two years, no such meetings were held. Hence, such meeting should be convened immediately in Thanjavur to listen to the farmers’ woes and to solve all possible issues regarding the paddy procurement during samba season, they added.
They pointed out that as of now, the DPC officials have been imposing too many conditions, due to which, the farmers had to sell their paddy to private traders at a lower price.
They further asserted that due to cyclone Gaja, the yield has been reduced by 50 per cent and due to the misty condition the moisture in the paddy has gone up. Hence the DPCs must also procure paddy with moisture content of 20 per cent instead those with only 17 per cent,they contended.
Further, they said that after the recent cyclone in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the state government procured all the paddy without any condition. Therefore, in Tamil Nadu too, the Chief Minister must issue similar instructions to the officials to procure all the paddy in the Gaja-affected areas without any conditions, they said.
During the protest, the farmers held paddy stalk affected by Gaja in their hands and also spilledthe paddy seeds affected by the cyclone.
The demonstration was presided by S Vimalnathan, the district secretary ofthe wassociation.
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