TIRUCHY: As the samba paddy harvest is expected to begin shortly in delta districts including Tiruchy, functionaries of farmers’ associations have appealed to the state government to convene a meeting to finalise the procurement policy for the current samba season.
The government usually sets a target of the volume of paddy to be procured during a particular season, whether it is kuruvai or samba. This includes determining the permissible moisture content for procurement by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) and fixing the rental rates for privately owned harvester machines.
Despite the imminent start of the samba harvest season, the government has neither convened a meeting to decide the procurement target or policy nor made any announcement in this regard so far, alleged Swamimalai S Vimalnathan, secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association.
“The Tamil Nadu government did not convene preparatory meetings for both kuruvai and samba this year. They should at least convene a meeting to fix the target for samba paddy procurement. These meetings are essential to determine the procurement target, the rate that the government will offer per quintal, the harvester rental rates, and even the bundling of straw. Due to incessant rains this year, almost all farmers would suffer significant yield loss. So the government should set reasonable rental rates for harvesters as private operators charge exorbitant prices,” he stated. Vayalur N Rajendran, the state treasurer of the farmers’ wing of the Tamil Maanila Congress, echoed Vimalnathan’s concerns.
“Usually, ministers of concerned districts receive representations from farmers’ associations with regard to the demands for the current paddy season so that they could be discussed in the Legislative Assembly session. Though the next Assembly session is set to commence on January 6, 2025, we have not been asked to submit our petitions. Instead, officials directed us to submit them to the respective district collectors,” he added.
Rajendran also appealed to the authorities in the agriculture engineering department to ensure the availability of a sufficient number of harvesting machines for the benefit of farmers in Tiruchy.