Paddy procurement takes a hit as Vaigai water release delayed in Madurai

A 50% decrease in paddy procurement this year resulted from the cultivation of samba paddy being hindered by the delay in Madurai’s Vaigai water flow.

 

According to insiders in the rice and paddy sector, more cultivable land has to be added across the state in light of the rising demand for paddy.

In Madurai, samba is grown on around 50,000 hectares, according to the agricultural department. As of March, there are only 40,832 hectares under paddy cultivation due to the delay in delivering Vaigai water. In the district, more than 90% of the harvest has been finished; in the remaining parts, where cultivation began after a protracted delay, harvest has not yet begun.

Despite the delayed start, the farmers were able to get a good crop, according to a senior agricultural department official, with an average yield of 1.5 to 2 metric tons per acre recorded in the district.
The official went on to say that parts of Chellampatti, Alanganallur, Madurai West, and certain parts of Melur still needed to finish harvesting.

The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation department’s top official said that, in the last several months, over 38,000 metric tons of rice had been purchased using DPCs. Interestingly, compared to the previous year, when the purchase volume was well over 80,000 metric tons, it is over 50% lower. Forty DPCs are in operation at the moment, and farmers in the district have asked for an extra three or four DPCs in order to get samba paddy.

The source went on to say that after the last round of harvesting, an additional 10,000 metric tons of paddy are anticipated to be purchased in Madurai over the next weeks.

A farmer named Ravi said that prices are rising because there is a greater demand for paddy on the open market. Open market prices are often more than Rs 23, but DPC prices fall between Rs 20 and Rs 21 per kilogram. Farmers, however, have asked for a hike in the paddy procurement price to more than Rs 35 per kilogram.

The chairwoman of the MADITSSIA food panel, A. Anbarasan, said to TNIE that the demand for rice has surged recently on the global market. Regardless of the price established by the government, paddy will fetch a greater price in the free market. Therefore, action must be taken by the government to promote cultivation across the nation.

“The state government has not done much over the years, despite giving assurances, even though the union government has come up with measures to benefit agro-based industries,” he added.

The state administration has been encouraged by experts to take action to support the growth of the state’s agro-based industry.