MADURAI: The Kuruvai paddy cultivation season has drawn to a close, and the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) is currently handling the final phase of paddy procurement in Madurai district.
Over 20,000 metric tonnes of paddy have been procured so far, which is nearly double the volume of 12,000 tonnes recorded last year.
Officials noted that continuous rainfall has been posing challenges, particularly in transporting the paddy from various procurement centres.
According to the agriculture department, a total of 9,000 hectares have been used for cultivation in Madurai, and farmers had an average of 2-2.5 tonnes per acre yield this year.
Senior official from the TNCSC, Madurai, said that this year, about 51 Direct Procurement Centres were opened across the district, out of which about 33 centres have completed procurement. Kuruvai season procurement is likely to be completed by the first week of December.
“So far, 20,279.8 tonnes have been procured, and another 2,000-3,000 tonnes are expected to be procured by the end of the season. Notably, the department has been providing more than 1,000 tonnes per day to prevent delays,” the official added.
A civil supplies official added that the incessant rainfall over the weekend has affected the paddy movement from DPCs. The officials noted that paddy has been kept safe at these centres and logistic arrangements have been made to transport the paddy from Tuesday.
Farmers from Madurai stated that last year’s portion of the cultivation area got damaged by pest and disease issues, which affected the yield; however, this year farmers had a bumper yield, and with profitable prices, farmers opted to sell their paddy at DPCs. Considering the sporadic rainfall, farmers urged the TNCSC department to fasten up the final stretch of procurement.