146 DPCs may open in Tiruchy for samba paddy procurement
TIRUCHY: Even as the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) is in the process of opening direct procurement centres ahead of samba harvest season, farmers have urged the authorities to ensure that all DPCs are equipped with the necessary infrastructure to protect paddy from the elements while also minimising the waiting time at the centres.
As per official projections, a production of 2.77 lakh metric tonnes of paddy is expected from the cultivation taken up on about 1.33 lakh acres in the district this samba season.
Accordingly, a total of 146 DPCs have been proposed to be set up in the 14 blocks of the district. Pointing out that 140 DPCs were operated in the district during the last samba season, K Kumaravelu, senior regional manager, TNCSC, Tiruchy, told TNIE, "This year the number may go up."
Against this backdrop, farmers urge the authorities to act cautiously to ensure that not even a single bag of paddy gets drenched in the rain or damaged by the sun due to inadequate infrastructure at the DPCs.
Vayalur N Rajendran, state treasurer of the farmers' wing of the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) [TMC (M)], said, "As in 2021, we are experiencing rainfall during January, which is disturbing the ongoing harvest. Except for a few DPCs, almost all others function in the open on private, panchayat or temple land. Anticipating rain, officials should raise the height of DPCs by at least one foot using gravel so that paddy bags can be protected with tarpaulin even during the showers."
He also sought supply of advanced winnowing machines and procurement of portable handheld sewing machines for stitching paddy bags and speed up procurement. On storage facilities, Kumaravelu said, "We have seven godowns with a storage capacity of 26,200 tonnes and two semi-covered godowns with a capacity of 3,300 tonnes. As paddy bags are moved to mills for hulling on a daily basis without delay, no bags are left waiting at the centres for transportation."