DPCs in bad shape, Ranipet ryots at traders’ mercy

RANIPET: Space constraint in regulated market that will accept paddy arrivals from farmers and a limited number of Direct Purchase Centres (DPCs) functioning, has resulted in Ranipet district farmers being at the mercy of private traders who form cartels by offering farmers rock bottom prices for paddy, sources said.

With farmers being flushed with harvested paddy lately, things started going south when only 31 of the proposed 92 DPCs were opened due to lack of Billing Clerks. DPCs usually offer top prices for paddy farmers in areas lacking DPCs. In Ranipet, farmers queued up at regulated markets, where excess arrivals resulted in Amoor and Kalavai RMs posting notices, asking farmers not to bring paddy till Friday due to lack of space.

Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam youth wing state president, R Subash filed a WhatsApp petition to the agriculture commissioner demanding action to open the proposed DPCs to save farmers from the clutches of private traders.

“Farmers are in need of cash to repay loans and are also seeking fresh loans for the next harvest. They are the most affected as they cannot stock paddy in personal space for lo. This is why we put forth a petition to open the DPCs,” Subash said.

Ranipet TN civil supplies corporation Regional Manager accepted that it was originally proposed to open 92 DPCs. “However, lack of Billing Clerks (BSs), who do all administrative work is what prevents these facilities from operating” she said. “When Ranipet and Tirupattur were bifurcated from Vellore district, we were provided with only a limited number of BCs and hence we have only 32 BCs. We can open additional DPCs only when DPCs in other areas close and those BCs are deployed here.”

With the NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation) planning to open and operate 21 DPCs, the district still lacks 35 DPCs “which means a sizeable number of farmers will be affected as they are forced to sell to traders” said the state general secretary S Udayakumar of the sangam. “Hence the sooner the government takes steps to get BCs, the better for cash-strapped farmers” he added.