KARAIKAL: Apprehensive of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) setting stringent norms for procurement, farmers in Karaikal urged the statutory body to procure as much samba and thaladi paddy as possible from them and not force them to approach private traders.
Samba and thaladi crop harvest is gaining momentum in Karaikal district and the FCI has been authorised to procure paddy directly from farmers for another year. However, farmers have expressed worry over the body rejecting their produce over factors such as moisture content limit, colour and grain size.
Around 4,500 hectares of samba and thaladi paddy have been cultivated in Karaikal district. P G Somu, a representative of the Karaikal Regional Farmers' Welfare Association, said, "The FCI should procure at least 1,000 to 2,000 bags at a DPC per day.
The FCI should not set requirement that may turn down a large chunk of our produce. We request them to relax the moisture content requirement similar to how Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) did." In Tamil Nadu, paddy with moisture content above 17% are procured after a deduction of the MSP amount. However, the FCI rejects paddy with moisture content above 17% in Karaikal, sources said.
Meanwhile, in the absence of a nodal agency like the TNCSC, farmers in Puducherry over the years have been procuring paddy through private sellers. However, upon requests by the Puducherry government, the FCI have been procuring paddy directly from the farmers here in the past few years.
An official of the FCI in Karaikal said, " Two designated DPCs, one at the Karaikal Market Committee Office in Thirunallar Road and the other at the Modern Rice Mill in Thennankudi, were opened. The farmers should register online to sell their paddy at these two centres.
We are procuring common-class paddy and fine-class paddy at minimum support prices fixed by the government." Last year, farmers had raised complaints over the FCI rejecting their produce citing quality issues, pushing them to sell their produce to private sellers at lesser prices.
They had approached the Puducherry government and the Karaikal district administration, urging them to make sure it does not repeat this year. J Senthilkumar, the additional director of agriculture, said, "Around 4,500 hectares of samba and thaladi paddy crops have been cultivated in Karaikal district. The harvest is expected to peak in a couple of weeks,"