Tamil Nadu: Farmers have expressed concern that officials are prioritizing paddy bundles brought in by trucks from traders instead of properly purchasing paddy bundles from farmers at the government procurement center near Kadaladi.
The government paddy procurement center operates at the Sub-Agricultural Extension Center in the Kalaneeramangalam area near Kadaladi in Ramanathapuram district. Here, farmers sell paddy bundles grown in more than 20 villages, including Kalaneeramangalam, Ayikudi, Jalinikulam, Rajakalpalayam, Pekulam, Andichikulam, Vallakulam, and Pottalbacheri.
This year, due to a lack of monsoon rains, crops were damaged, and a very small amount of paddy was harvested. Farmers have left this paddy at the government procurement center. Instead of purchasing paddy from farmers, officials are purchasing paddy bundles brought in by trucks from outside, misleading farmers, they say. Farmer Bose said:
The government paddy procurement center in Kalaneermangalam is not purchasing paddy bales from farmers by weighing them, but is instead charging exorbitant fees from traders who arrive in trucks from outside the village. The District Collector should intervene and take appropriate action against the officials who are harassing farmers. He said that the more than 500 paddy bales belonging to farmers stranded at this office should be purchased immediately.
