'Will raise paddy procurement issue with govt': Palaniswami assures farmers

Chennai, Oct 22 (IANS) AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday assured farmers in Tamil Nadu’s delta region that he would take up their grievances regarding paddy procurement with the State government.

During his visit to the Direct Purchase Centre (DPC) at Kattur near Thanjavur, Palaniswami interacted with several farmers and expressed solidarity with their concerns.

“I am aware of the problems faced by the delta farmers as I too am a farmer,” he said, noting that the ongoing delay in procurement had left many cultivators in distress.

The AIADMK leader claimed that the harvested paddy, which was waiting for procurement, had begun sprouting due to the continuous rain and lack of storage.

“Delta farmers are in tears. The government is deceiving them by claiming in the Legislative Assembly that 2,000 bags of paddy are procured every day, whereas the reality is that not even 800 bags are being taken,” he alleged.

Palaniswami urged the State to speed up procurement operations and ensure timely payment to farmers. He also highlighted that the inefficiency in the procurement process could lead to severe losses for cultivators who depend entirely on their paddy harvest for livelihood.

Later in the day, the Opposition leader visited several other DPCs in the Orathanadu region of Thanjavur district and the Mannargudi region of Tiruvarur district.

He interacted with farmers there as well, collecting their petitions and complaints for submission to the government.

Responding to his remarks, Food Minister R. Sakkarapani, who inspected the paddy storage godown at Pillaiyarpatti on the outskirts of Thanjavur, dismissed the Opposition leader’s allegations.

“What else can be expected from the Opposition party,” he remarked, adding that the government had initiated multiple steps to enhance storage and procurement efficiency in the delta region.

Sakkarapani said that around 1,000 bags of paddy were being procured every day across DPCs and that the procurement process was proceeding smoothly. He further assured that additional storage capacity was being created to handle the incoming paddy from farmers during the peak harvest season.

--IANS

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