CHENNAI: With the agriculture department predicting an increase in paddy cultivation in both delta and non-delta regions, the food department has decided to convert unused government buildings across the state into temporary storage centres.
During a departmental review meeting chaired by Food and Civil Supplies Minister K Sakkarapani on Tuesday, officials were instructed to set up open storage centres for paddy in other department buildings on a war footing. The department also stated that it has a storage capacity of 4.03 lakh tonnes.
To ensure uninterrupted procurement of paddy, the minister further directed district officials to maintain adequate stocks of essential materials such as gunny bags, tarpaulin sheets, moisture metres, electronic weighing scales, quality-testing equipment, paddy-cleaning machines, winnowing machines, and sorting tools, along with other accessories.
During the 2024-25 kharif marketing season, paddy procurement in the state increased to 47.99 lakh MT, compared to the average procurement of 40 to 42 lakh MT. Since September 1, the state has procured 14.18 lakh MT of paddy from farmers.
The directions were issued based on data provided by the agriculture department regarding cultivation patterns across the state, the official note said.