NAGAPATTINAM: Taking into account rising levels of humidity ahead of the monsoon, farmers in the coastal delta have demanded that the cap on moisture content for kuruvai paddy procurement be relaxed from 17% to 22%.
In Nagapattinam alone, around 25,000 metric tonnes of paddy are yet to be procured. While monsoon and the recent rains have brought relief to farmers preparing for samba cultivation for which farming had begun in September, farmers harvesting their kuruvai crop are concerned for the fate of their produce.
M Prakash, a farmer-representative from Kaviri Vivasaayigal Paathukaapu Sangam said, "Inspection and recommendation for moisture content percentage has always been late. Sometimes relaxation comes into effect after farmers have sold their produce to TNCSC and private traders.
Moisture content relaxation for Kuruvai paddy should always be permanent as it often coincides with the monsoon." TNCSC aims to procure around 50,000 metric tonnes of paddy from around 30,000 acres of kuruvai plantation that survived the shortage of water from the Cauvery in the district this year.
Half of the district's produce has now been procured and stored at the district's direct procurement centres. With the impending monsoon and resultant humidity contributing to the moisture content in standing kuruvai crops, farmers are forced to dry them before procurement to comply with TNCSC's required moisture content percentage of 17 %.
If the moisture content falls between 17 % and 20 %, a portion of the minimum support price gets deducted, while paddy with more than 20 % moisture gets rejected. M Sellappa, a farmer from Orathur said, "It is difficult to dry the paddy grains under humid days and during monsoon. We could use the moisture content relaxation and escape the losses."
It may be noted that a team from the union government representing the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution had recommended relaxation after visiting the delta districts and inspecting the moisture content in the last harvest season. A senior TNCSC official said, "We have received the demands from the farmers. The state government has to take a call on it according to the remaining amount of procurement."