A virtual meeting chaired by District Collector A. Alexander on Sunday decided to hasten the procurement of harvested paddy in the district. The meeting was convened following a delay in the procurement process.
Officials said that the entire harvested paddy kept in paddy polders would be procured in four days. Assistant directors of agriculture have been directed to initiate necessary steps to ensure rice mills procure paddy without delay.
Farmers earlier alleged that mills were demanding more wastage citing high moisture content in the harvested paddy. This has resulted in friction between farmers and mills. The meeting entrusted assistant directors to hold discussions with those padashekara samithis who are at loggerheads with mills.
Paddy farming has been undertaken in around 28,913.655 hectares in Alappuzha district in the 'puncha' crop season (first crop), a major portion of which is in Kuttanad. The Supplyco has so far procured 1.30 lakh tonnes of paddy in Alappuzha in the 'puncha' season. A total of 4,000 tonnes of harvested paddy are stored in various paddy polders awaiting procurement. Another 900 tonnes are expected to be harvested in the coming days.
Rice mill
Kuttanad MLA-designate Thomas K. Thomas said farmers were forced to keep the harvested paddy in polders due to a lack of proper storage facilities. He suggested setting up a rice mill in Kuttanad. Ambalappuzha MLA-designate H. Salam recommended the deployment of more agricultural officers for hassle-free procurement.