Tamil Nadu sees record paddy procurement of over 32 lakh tonnes

Paddy procurement in Tamil Nadu touched an unprecedented 32.41 lakh tonne during the 2019-20 season, state Food Minister R Kamaraj said on Saturday.

This was the highest procurement record in Tamil Nadu's history.

Paddy was procured from 2,135 centres spread across the state benefitting about 5,85,241 farmers in all, he said.

"This volume of 32.41 lakh tonne paddy is the highest procurement record in the history of Tamil Nadu. Through this, the state government has provided a total of Rs 6,130 crore, including Rs 205 crore incentive to the farmers," he said in a release here.

The entire amount has been directly credited to the farmers' bank accounts, Kamaraj added.

At present, a minimum support price of Rs 1,888 per quintal for thin variety and Rs 1,868 per quintal for normal variety has been announced on October 1 for the 2020-2021 season.

In addition, the Tamil Nadu government has given an incentive of Rs 70 per quintal for thin variety and Rs 50 for normal variety, the minister said.

The process of procurement has commenced from October 1. It has been ordered to open all procurement centres this Sunday for the benefit of farmers, he said.

Also, the district collectors have been told to open more number of DPCs depending upon the requirement, he said.