TENKASI: Paddy farmers from across the district alleged that the Direct Purchase Centres (DPC) here were purchasing paddy from middlemen, instead of purchasing it from them. They added that it has affected their profits and that the middlemen were now getting benefitted from their misery.
When TNIE spoke to farmers from areas like Panpozhi, Kadayam, Puliyarai, and Kadayanallur, they said they were still waiting to sell their paddy to the DPC even 10 days after submitting their applications online.
"Fearing the loss of paddy to natural calamities, the frustrated farmers are forced to sell them to middlemen at a lower price. The latter then sell them to the DPC at the price fixed by the State government. For instance, a middleman who purchases `1 lakh-worth paddy from a farmer sells it for `1.3 lakh to `1.4 lakh. He gives a bribe of `3 for each kg of paddy, to the staff at the DPC. Thus, the middlemen, who are in no way involved in paddy cultivation, earns crores of rupees in a season alone with the support of corrupt officials," claimed A Nainar, a farmer from Panpozhi.
After procuring paddy from the farmers, the next step for the middlemen is to look out for random, large areas of land and get forged 'Adangal' (a revenue record) for them as 'paddy-cultivated land'. This is because, without the 'Adangal', they will not be able to sell the produce to the DPC. This is where the alleged nexus between the middlemen and Village Administrative Officers (VAOs) come into play, said several farmers from Kadayam.
"These middlemen collect documents like Aadhaar, patta and bank passbooks from some of the coconut and banana farmers, and from those who have empty farmland. They will then submit these documents to the VAOs. Without even verifying if paddy crops were really cultivated in the particular land, the VAOs issue the 'Adangal' as 'paddy-cultivated land' to the middlemen who then bring it to the DPC staff," alleged former MLA K Ravi Arunan, who is also a farmer.
"The payment for the paddy is then disbursed to these non-paddy farmers' bank accounts. The middlemen, who would have already collected land or house documents as surety from these farmers, return the documents only after receiving the payment from them. The farmers are given a commission for their favour," Ravi Arunan said, and demanded the State government to form flying squads including officials of revenue and agriculture departments to inspect DPCs and VAO offices. The DPC staff should not weigh paddy bags that are brought by the middlemen, he added.
On Tuesday, the officials of the Labour Department had seized a tampered weighing scale used in the DPC located in Thoranamalai Road near Kadayam, based on Ravi Arunan's complaint.
"We have initiated action against the staff at the DPC," said an official who seized the weighing scale. Speaking to TNIE, Gopinath, Regional Manager of Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation Tirunelveli, said, "The DPC staff simply weigh the paddy bags that they receive. It is the duty of the Revenue department to act against the erring VAOs who provide 'Adangal' to the middlemen. However, I will look into the farmers' complaints."