State Food Minister R Kamaraj on Wednesday said that the government has procured 65 lakh gunny bags of paddy from farmers in 21 days, thereby indirectly refuting the complaints that paddy procurement centres refuse to buy paddy from farmers.
R Kamaraj, Food Minister
Chennai:
“Kuruvai season commenced on October 1 and till October 21, state government had procured 65 lakh gunny bags of paddy from farmers in Delta districts. This is the first time that such large quantities of paddy had been procured and money had been immediately deposited in farmers’ accounts within 24 hours,” Kamaraj told DT Next.
During the lockdown period the private rice mills have refused to procure paddy from farmers and there were complaints from farmers that government paddy procurement centres are also refusing paddy from them. There were also complaints that Rs 40 is being charged by officials for each gunny bag of paddy for procurement for which Kamaraj replied that getting even a single rupee from a farmer is a shame.
Replying to the allegations of farmers, Kamaraj said that 90 per cent of paddy harvest had been completed in the Kuruvai season.
“In Thanjavur district, out of 1.45 lakh acres, paddy had been harvested in 1.25 lakh acres. In Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts only 10 percentage of paddy still remains to be harvested,” said Kamaraj, who also added that vested interests are spreading rumours against the state government.
State government, in the previous Kharif season, which ended on September 30, procured 32.41 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from farmers and 6 lakh farmers benefitted. Rs 6,130 crore were deposited in the accounts of farmers after the procurement of paddy, he added.
Minister’s denial of ‘collection’ at DPCs upsets Ranipet farmers
Farmers in newly-formed Ranipet district were irked by the statement of Food Minister R Kamaraj in which he claimed that there was no illegal collection by workers in the Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs) in the state. “Did not the Minister hear what a judge in the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court said?” asked a farmer leader seeking anonymity. “The judge, stating that collecting Rs 40 per bag from farmers was akin to begging does not seem to have reached the Minister’s ears,” the farmer leader added. This has resulted in farmers’ demand for setting up permanent DPCs in the districts gaining ground. Following discussions with Ranipet Collector S Divyadarshini, Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam, youth wing president R Subash said, “She promised action when I informed her of lack of action despite Siruvalayam village in Nemili taluk earmarking land for a DPC.” Similarly, at the end of a district production committee meeting, a local farmer leader informed the Collector that the truth of farmers’ allegations about illegal collections in DPCs would be revealed if surprise raids were undertaken at such facilities across the district.
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