25 lakh MT paddy will be procured this season, announces Food Minister

Chairing the tripartite meet to discuss the paddy procurement in which District Collectors from Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, farmers and officials from the Civil Supplies Corporation participated, the minister told the reporters that as many as 1766 DPCs were opened last year across the state and 19.10 lakh MT paddy was procured through which 5.68 lakh farmers were benefited and an amount of Rs 3,487 crore, including Rs 120 crore, as incentive was credited in their respective bank accounts. “For the past eight years, we have disbursed the incentive of Rs 718 crore,” the minister said.

Stating that as many as 455 DPCs have been opened so far in the state, including 63 in non-delta region, the minister said, so far these DPCs have procured 87,000 MT paddy. “We have targetted to procure 25 lakh MT paddy this season,” the minister stressed.

Answering a query about the moisture condition of paddy to be procured, the minister said that the state government has sent a representation to the Centre to increase relax the moisture condition beyond 17 per cent while procuring through DPCs, adding that each DPC is asked to procure 1,000 bags instead of their regular procurement of 800 bags.

Earlier, during the tripartite meeting, the farmers requested to increase the moisture condition from 17 per cent to 22 per cent owing to the rains and heavy misty condition. They also demanded to establish at least 400 permanent DPCs across the Delta region. The minister assured to considertheir appeals.