THANJAVUR: With government agencies procuring copra at Minimum Support Price (MSP), arrival has been on the rise at Pattukkottai and Orathanadu regulated markets in Thanjavur district.
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) has been procuring copra from farmers under Price Support Scheme through the designated regulated markets in the State.
In Thanjavur district, copra used to be procured through the Pattukkottai and Orathanadu marketing committees. The procurement began on February 1 and it will go on till July 31.
Milling copra is being procured from coconut farmers at the rate of Rs 105.98 a kg at these markets. A total target of procuring 4,200 tonnes of milling copra has been fixed for the two regulated markets.
"So far a total of 170 tonnes have been procured in both the centres with a lion's share of 165 tonnes at Pattukkottai alone," an official from the Agricultural Marketing Committee told TNIE.
It has been useful for farmers as traders in the open market have been offering very low prices, said R Sukumaran, a farmer from Orathanadu.
E V Gandhi, a coconut farmer from Peravurani, an area where coconut has been the main crop, said, "Several farmers do not know about the commencement of procurement. As the open market price for de-husked coconut is only Rs 10 to Rs 12, farmers would prefer to sell it as copra after drying the nut."
Officials of the marketing committee said they have been publicising the procurement centres. "Compared to last year, arrivals are good now. In 2019, the last time procurement was done (it was not done for two years owing to the pandemic), only 22 tonnes were procured. When traders came to know about government agencies procuring, they hiked the price and the farmers sold to them," officials said.
This year, private traders were initially offering Rs 90 to Rs 95 per kg, and as on Thursday, it stood at Rs 99, officials said. "Once the price offered by the traders in the open market crosses the MSP of Rs 105.98, arrival will dip. Though procurement will go on till July, the arrival usually stops in June," an official said.
Quality is strictly enforced and only copra with a moisture content below 6% is accepted at the regulated markets. Copra with fungus growth will be rejected.
However, private traders many a time accept copra even with fungus growth, officials added.