Cultivators of Andhra ponni face setback as private traders skip Tamil Nadu

TIRUCHY: Anticipating good profit, the farmers who cultivated a fine variety of Andhra ponni are in shock as the private parties who usually beeline the Delta region during harvest season, have failed to come.

The reason is that states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha and West Bengal achieved bumper harvests than usual and the traders opted for those states than Tamil Nadu where the yield has been comparatively less.

During the samba and thalady season, many Delta farmers opt for BPT 5204 fine variety aka Andhra Ponni as the private players used to procure with higher prices owing to the wide demand for the variety.

However, the uncertain rains at the end of November and the second week of December damaged the crops and resulted in poor yield.

The farmers who normally get 30 bags of paddy per bag could get only 15 to 20 bags and the information about the poor yield had an impact on the traders who preferred to avoid the Delta region.

Meanwhile, the states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha and West Bengal had achieved a bumper harvest with the same variety and so the traders went to those places for procurement.

And this affected the Delta farmers and they had no option but to approach the government-run DPCs.

“Last year, during the initial stages of harvest, we could get Rs 1,750 per bag of 60 kg and it declined to Rs 1,600 when the harvest was at its peak. Though the price was less, we could get Rs 300 more than the government-run DPCs. But this year, even from the beginning stage, the price was Rs 1,300 to 1,350 per bag of 60 kg but still, the private players did not turn as several states had a bumper harvest and we had no option but to approach DPCs,” said R Palanivelu, a farmer from Therkkukottai near Papanadu in Thanjavur.

Ryots await relaxation of moisture condition

The Delta farmers have anxiously been waiting for the announcement of the relaxation of moisture conditions up to 22 per cent and appealed to the government to make the increased condition permanent.

“The central team had visited the Delta region after repeated demands to relax the moisture condition of paddy in procurement. But almost two months are nearing, and no announcement has been made so far,” said AKR Ravichandar from Ammaiyagaram.

He also appealed to the state government to put pressure on the union government to increase the moisture condition as it is a matter of livelihood of the farmers.