Due to transportation delays procured paddy stacked up in poor storage conditions

Transportation delays in delta districts leave procured paddy unmoved, risking grain loss and storage concerns for farmers and DPCs.

Transportation delays have left procured paddy unmoved in several places in the delta districts, causing distress among farmers and Direct Purchase Centre (DPC) staff. The delay in shifting stocks to storage godowns has raised fears of grain loss, particularly due to fluctuating moisture levels and poor storage conditions in the DPCs leading to decline in quality.

Sources in various DPCs in Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, and Thanjavur said no paddy movement has taken place for the past seven to 10 days in several parts of their districts. The delay in transportation has left procured paddy piling up, adding to storage concerns.

S. Chandrakumar, general secretary of the TNCSC Workers’ Union (affiliated with AITUC) criticised the contract system, alleging that lorry operators act as middlemen, delaying transportation while demanding higher rates. He urged the State government to ensure direct movement of procured paddy to godowns and PDS outlets within 48 hours, as per TNCSC rules. Despite a TNCSC circular mandating timely movement, he said it remains ineffective on the ground.

He also pointed out that moisture variations lead to weight loss in paddy bags, with a 40 kg bag losing up to 1.5 kg, particularly when moisture levels exceed 17%. The burden of this loss is unfairly placed on DPC staff, adding to their difficulties.

P. R. Pandian, president of the Coordination Committee of All Farmers Associations of Tamil Nadu, called for immediate intervention from the Chief Minister, demanding that open storage units be set up in every taluk to clear the backlog of procured paddy at DPCs. With storage godowns already full, he warned that newly procured stocks have no place to be stored, further complicating the transport crisis.

Sources from TNCSC pointed out that the corporation’s website (https://tncsc-edpc.in/) provides real-time data on paddy stocks and purchases, yet there is no proper mechanism to clear long-pending stocks from DPCs to godowns or mills due to irregularities in the transportation system. They argued despite lorry tokens being allotted online by district-level TNCSC offices, there was reluctance from lorry owners to adhere to the system. There was also no action taken against lorry owners who fail to transport stocks on time.

A senior TNCSC official from the transport section speaking to The Hindu stated that on a daily basis, eight rakes of paddy—one rake equalling 2,000 metric tonnes, making a total of 16,000 metric tonnes—were being transported from 15 railhead loading points. Given the high volume of procurement this year, the government was planning to increase transportation to 10 rakes per day.