Around 5,000 bags of paddy were reportedly damaged after heavy overnight rain entered more than 20 paddy heaps at the Veeramudaiyanatham government procurement centre near Sethiyathoppu in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district, where farmers have been waiting for procurement and covered storage.
More than 50 government direct paddy procurement centres were opened in and around Sethiyathoppu last month. However, the centres do not have enough shed space to store the bags being purchased. The movement of procured paddy to warehouses or rice mills has also been delayed, leaving stocks exposed in open fields and other temporary locations, according to a report by Dinamalar.
The report said each procurement centre has accumulated between 10,000 and 15,000 bags over the past 20 days. With the available cement yards also running out of space, farmers have been forced to place paddy heaps in low-lying areas near the centres. At Veeramudaiyanatham, rainwater entered more than 20 such heaps after heavy rain continued through the night two days ago.
The affected paddy had been stored by farmers awaiting procurement. The reported damage highlights the operational pressure created when procurement capacity, covered storage and onward transportation do not keep pace with arrivals. Farmers have also been waiting for weeks because procurement is proceeding slowly at the centres.
The storage problem is not limited to the availability of sheds. Once bags are purchased, delays in transporting them to warehouses or rice mills leave the procurement yards dependent on open space and temporary arrangements. In the reported case, the lack of room on the cement yards pushed farmers to use lower-lying areas, increasing exposure to rainwater.
Farmers have sought an immediate field inspection by officials of the Chidambaram division of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation. They have asked the authorities to speed up paddy procurement and arrange faster movement of the bags from the direct procurement centres. The report did not mention any official statement on the extent of compensation or the assessment of the rain-damaged stock.
