TIRUNELVELI: Farmers supplying their produce to the Direct Purchase Centres (DPCs) in Tirunelveli, including those in Kunnathur and Vellakovil, claimed on Thursday that delays in procurement have left their paddy exposed to rain, causing it to sprout.
Several farmers from Kunnathur told TNIE that even the paddy bags they brought on November 1 have not been accepted by the DPC staff yet. A farmer said, "As a result, around 6,000 bags of paddy were kept outside the DPC, constantly exposed to rain and the sun. Cattle are eating the produce. We had spent lakhs of rupees on cultivating paddy, but now face huge losses due to the delay in procurement."
Another farmer from Vellakovil said that the staff members at the respective DPC had advised him and other growers to store harvested produce in the same agricultural fields. A woman farmer said, "They told us they would not accept our produce even if we brought it to the centre. If the paddy gets wet in the rain, the DPC will reject it. We fear our months of hard work and expenditure for cultivation will go in vain."
When contacted by TNIE, staff members at the DPCs attributed the delay to a shortage of trucks to transport the purchased stock to the warehouses of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC). "Most of the DPCs in the district, including the one at Ramayanpatti, are facing the same issue. Higher officials have been informed. We are waiting for trucks to transport the stock as we do not have space to store more bags," said a staff member.
TNCSC Regional Manager Gnana Sabapathi said the administration has been arranging additional trucks for the DPCs. "Some DPCs, like the one in Brammathesam, received more bags from farmers. Since September 10, we have procured 28,000 metric tonnes of paddy through 37 DPCs. In Kunnathur alone, we purchased 440 metric tonnes, of which 200 tonnes have been moved to our warehouses. In Vellakovil, 202 out of 289 metric tonnes have been transported. Some middlemen are causing unnecessary panic among the farmers. On Wednesday, we arranged 25 trucks, and in the coming days, we will arrange 40 to 50. We have cleared 800-1,000 metric tonnes in the past two days," he added.