PMK slams Centre’s bid to buy paddy directly
In a statement, the PMK leader slammed the State government’s announcement that paddy from farmers, excluding Cauvery irrigated districts, would be procured by the National Cooperative Consumers Federation instead of TNCSC

PMK founder S Ramadoss (PTI)
CHENNAI: PMK founder S Ramadoss has condemned the DMK government for announcing that the central government would procure paddy directly from the farmers instead of the presently followed practice of the State government doing it through Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC).
He urged the State government to follow the current practice of procuring through TNCSC to safeguard the interests of farmers. “The State government should have discussed with all the political parties before deciding to accede it to the central government. But the DMK government has simply surrendered,” he criticised.
In a statement, the PMK leader slammed the State government’s announcement that paddy from farmers, excluding Cauvery irrigated districts, would be procured by the National Cooperative Consumers Federation instead of TNCSC. “It is said that the decision has been taken based on the insistence of the central government. If the power to procure paddy is handed over to the National Cooperative Consumers Federation, farmers will face losses. Firstly, the central federation does not have the infrastructure to procure paddy. It will employ private traders and middlemen,” Ramadoss warned.
Despite TNCSC having 3,148 direct procurement centres and 367 storage facilities with a capacity of 18.08 lakh tonnes of paddy, the corporation could only procure one-third of the quantity of 120 lakh tonnes of paddy cultivated in the State every year, Ramadoss said. If that is the case, “how can the federation, which does not have any facilities do it,” he asked.