TIRUCHI
The State government has targeted to procure about 25 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers through the direct purchase centres (DPCs) opened by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation this year, Food Minister R. Kamaraj said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters in Tiruvarur after inspecting various DPCs in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts, Mr.Kamaraj said all necessary steps have been taken to procure paddy from farmers in their respective areas. Based on a demand put forth by farmers representatives, the procurement limit at a DPC has been increased from 800 to 1000 bags a day.
Earlier, speaking at a consultative meeting with officials and farmers representatives in Thanjavur, Mr.Kamaraj said during 2018-19, about 19.10 lakh tonnes of paddy was procured from over 5.06 lakh farmers through 1,766 DPCs. About ₹3,487 crore was disbursed to the farmers.
During the current year, 87,493 tonnes of paddy has been procured so far through 455 DPCs in the delta region and 63 in the non-delta areas. Collectors have been empowered to open DPCs wherever necessary based on demand. So far, ₹ 6 crore has been disbursed as incentive to farmers.
TNCSC farmers have been instructed to monitor the procurement process and complaints, if any, can be lodged over the telephone by dialling 044-26424560 or 26422448, he said.
R. Doraikkanu, Minister for Agriculture, Dayanand Kataria, Principal Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, M. Sudha Devi, Managing Director, TNCSC, and Collectors Govinda Rao (Thanjavur), T. Anand (Tiruvarur) and Praveen B. Nair (Nagapattinam), and others participated. Mr. Kamaraj inspected various DPCs in the delta region later in the day.
