Tamil Nadu

Corporation unlikely to achieve paddy procurement target

CHENNAI: Despite a bumper harvest, the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation is unlikely to achieve its paddy procurement target.

The procurement season ends on April 30. The Corporation has so far purchased 9.70 lakh tonnes as against the target of 16.5 lakh tonnes.

Unseasonal rain, higher price in the open market and holding of stocks by farmers, who expect a better price later, are the main hurdles in achieving the target, according to a Corporation official.

The Corporation expected the yield to be 5 tonnes per hectare in samba. But, the average yield in the delta districts was only 3.5 tonnes. The recent rain affected daily arrivals at the direct purchase centres. Again, farmers this time preferred private traders, who offered Rs.850 and more per quintal as against Rs.825 for fine varieties and Rs.795 for common varieties offered by the Corporation.

In view of the buoyancy in price, big farmers are holding on to their stocks, expecting the price to cross Rs.900 per quintal. “We thought the shortfall in the procurement in kuruvai will be compensated in late samba. But, there are reports of crop damage due to rain All these factors contributed to the less than expected procurement this time.”The official said Tiruvarur district recorded a procurement of 3.09 lakh tonnes, followed by Thanjavur with 3.02 lakh tonnes, Nagapattinam 2.09 lakh tonnes, Cuddalore and Pudukottai 29,000 tonnes each and Tiruchi, 8,000 tonnes. Procurement was substantial in non-delta areas too. In Sivaganga district, the Corporation purchased 14,000 tonnes, Erode 15,000 tonnes and Madurai, 20,000 tonnes.

The official said the Corporation would keep all the 1,297 DPCs open till the end of April so that farmers did not have any difficulty in selling their stocks.

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