Ryots resent delay in announcing kuruvai paddy price

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUCHI, SEPT.2 The Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association expressed anguish over the Union Government's failure to announce khariff (kuruvai) paddy procurement price though the harvest had commenced in many parts of the State and the country.

At a meeting held here today, it wondered at the delay and pointed out that the Government used to announce the price in April.

The meeting wanted the State Government to adopt parallel procurement system during kuruvai season, and fix the procurement price at Rs.800 for quintal of first sort paddy, Rs.750 for second sort, and Rs.100 as incidental charges.

Following farmers' complaints of harassment by Direct Procurement Centre staff, the association, in a resolution, sought appointment of monitoring committee for each DPC, in which farmers should also be represented.

While thanking the Government for waiver of interest and penal interest for those who repaid co-operative crop loans promptly, it wanted the facility extended upto the end of March next year and also to cover farmers who had taken loans to develop about 20 lakhs hectares of wasteland in the State.

`Ensure water release from Karnataka'

Urging the Prime Minister, Mr. Vajpayee, to ensure release of water from Karnataka reservoirs without waiting for the outcome of the meeting of the monitoring committee consisting of the Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, scheduled for September 6, the association said kuruvai crop on about two lakhs acres was now in a critical condition and would not withstand any disruption of water supply.

A resolution said that delayed water supply would not save the crop.

The present Mettur dam storage would last just for a week, and hence the Prime Minister and Union Government should take immediate steps to get water released from Karnataka reservoirs.

Of the four lakh acres of standing kuruvai paddy in Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and Cuddalore, about two lakh acres could be harvested without additional irrigation.

The remaining two lakh acres would need water for another four weeks, and if they were not saved, the loss would be about lakhs tonnes of paddy.

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Section  : Southern States
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