Date:06/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/06/stories/2008100659610700.htm

Tamil Nadu

More paddy to be procured

Special Correspondent

E.V. Velu

THANJAVUR: The State government has fixed a target of procuring 18 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers in the State this year against 14.46 lakh tonnes last year, said E.V.Velu, Minister for Food, here on Sunday.

Reviewing the progress of paddy procurement in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, the Minister said that only in Tamil Nadu was the price of paddy enhanced, giving an incentive of Rs.170 per quintal for Grade A variety and Rs.150 per quintal for the common variety and fixed the price at Rs.1,050 per quintal for Grade A and Rs.1,000 per quintal for the common variety.

The Centre and the Tamil Nadu had provided a total incentive of Rs.220.96 crore to the State farmers. Besides, the government took efforts to purchase TKM-9 variety paddy (red rice) and offered Rs.1,000 per quintal to prevent distress sale of paddy. About 4,809 tonnes of TKM-9 variety paddy had so far been procured, he said.

The Food Minister said from October 4 the government had ordered purchase of kuruvai paddy with moisture content up to 20 per cent with a cut in price. He said there would be no price cut for paddy with moisture content up to 17 per cent.

For Grade A variety, the price cut would be Rs. 11.15 per quintal with moisture content of 17-18 per cent; Rs.22.35 for 18-19 per cent and Rs.33.55 for 19-20 per cent. For the common variety, the price cut would be Rs.10.65 per quintal with moisture content of 17-18 per cent, Rs.21.35 for 18-19 per cent and Rs.32 for 19-20 per cent.

Mr Velu said that the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation had opened 553 Direct Purchase Centres so far in the delta districts and more centres would be opened depending upon the requirement of farmers. The Food Minister said 1,100 electronic scales had been provided to the DPCs that were having power connection and instructed the TNCSC to provide adequate money, gunny bags and weighing machines to all DPCs to make sure that farmers did not face any hardship in selling their paddy. Instructions were also issued to the TNCSC to move the paddy with more moisture content immediately to rice mills.

Farmers could contact Collectors or senior TNCSC officials if they faced any problem in selling their paddy at the DPCs.

S.S.Palanimanickam, Union Minister of State for Finance, U. Mathivanan, Minister for Dairy Development and A.K.S.Vijayan, MP, appealed to the staff manning the DPCs to help the farmers while bringing paddy to the DPCs. They thanked Chief Minster M. Karunanidhi for ordering good price for the paddy and also for accepting paddy with moisture content up to 20 per cent.

A large number of top government officials, including K. Shanmugam, Secretary to Government, Food, Cooperation and Consumer Protection department, K. Rajaraman, Commissioner of Civil Supplies; Satyabrata Sahu, Executive Director, TNCSC; K. Radhakrishnan, Additional Director, Food Cell CID; M.S.Shanmugam, M.Chandrasekaran and M.Jaryaraman, Collectors of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts, Senior Regional Managers of TNCSC in Thanjavur, Tiuvarur and Nagapattinam districts, Regional Joint Registrars of Cooperative Societies in the three districts took part in the review meeting.