MADURAI: Paddy procurement in Madurai during the 2025-26 Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) crossed 1.4 lakh tonnes, surpassing the procurement recorded in each of the previous three years.
According to Civil Supplies Department officials, the district procured around 58,000 tonnes in 2023-24, while procurement stood at about 1.20 lakh tonnes in 2022-23. During KMS 2024-25, which ran from September 2024 to August 2025, procurement reached 1.27 lakh tonnes.
Though last year’s target was fixed at 1.6 lakh tonnes, the procurement was capped at 1.4 lakh tonnes in Madurai.
However, the shortfall in Kuruvai cultivation has affected plans for the 2026-27 KMS. Officials said no procurement target has been fixed for the district so far, and proposals have not been submitted for opening Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs) for Kuruvai paddy.
According to the Agriculture Department, Madurai normally records Kuruvai cultivation over around 9,400 hectares. This year, the cultivated area fell short by nearly 7,000 hectares. With cultivation also scattered across the district, officials said opening DPCs for Kuruvai procurement was not considered feasible.
The Civil Supplies Department said the procurement target for the 2026-27 KMS would be finalised based on the extent of Samba cultivation.
Officials said district storage facilities currently hold nearly 35,000 tonnes of paddy. Around 13,000 tonnes of rice are being produced every month from the available stocks. Paddy procured in other districts is also being transported to Madurai to meet the requirements of local rice mills and maintain supplies.
