Supplyco to procure paddy directly from farmers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Supplyco will take direct charge of paddy procurement in the state. It will purchase paddy from farmers, store it in private warehouses, and supply it to partnered mill owners for processing into rice.

However, mill owners continue to hold a negative stance on paddy procurement. In a discussion yesterday with Ministers G.R. Anil and P. Prasad, only two mill owners agreed to the government's proposed "out-turn" condition for accepting paddy. The others are collectively opposing it. It is in this situation that the government decided to assign paddy procurement to Supplyco.

The mill owners oppose the out-turn rule which requires them to give 68 kilograms of rice to Supplyco for every 100 kilograms of paddy collected. They demand that this be reduced to 64.5 kilograms. The Chief Minister said in a Wednesday meeting that it can be adjusted to 66.5 kilograms. The mill owners, who left without showing resistance, later again requested the reduction to 64.5 kilograms.

Causing confusion and speculation As paddy procurement was delayed indefinitely, more than half of the farmers in Palakkad district sold their paddy at the prices available, even accepting losses of up to 10 rupees per kilogram. Mill owners bought paddy at lower prices, creating a crisis. Mill owners collected Palakkad paddy, even from Tamil Nadu. The one-and-a-half-month-long procurement in Palakkad is nearing completion.

In Kuttanad, some fields left unharvested in hope of government intervention were damaged by rain. Around 8,000 hectares were cultivated in the Alappuzha district this season. Though harvesting has started in many areas of the state, there is no space to store paddy due to heavy rains. This is the crisis that mill owners are exploiting.

"We cannot let farmers be thrown to the mercy of arrogant mill owners,"

P. Prasad, Agriculture Minister