Tamil Nadu’s paddy procurement down by about 17 lakh tonnes during 2023-24

Tamil Nadu's paddy procurement drops in 2023-24 due to decreased cultivation area, while awaiting response on PDS technology reforms.

Tamil Nadu, during 2023-24, procured about 17 lakh tonnes of paddy less than what it did in the previous year. 

In 2022-23, the figure of paddy procurement was around 44.26 lakh tonnes whereas next year, it was about 27.74 lakh tonnes, which was about seven lakh tonnes short of the estimated figure. The procurement covered the Kharif (which broadly coincides with southwest monsoon) and Rabi (winter) cultivation seasons of the year, according to data available on the Central Food Grains Procurement Portal.

A Central government official attributes the fall to decline in the area under cultivation during the Samba season (ordinarily, August-January) in the State due to lack of water availability. In such a situation, generally, farmers prefer to sell their produce to private traders to the government procurement agency - Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation. 

Apart from the minimum support price fixed by the Central government, the farmers are paid by the State government in the form of incentive per quintal for grade ‘A’ and common varieties of paddy. 

Meanwhile, on the matter of joining the  Centre’s Scheme for Modernisation and Reforms through Technology in Public Distribution System (SMART-PDS), the Tamil Nadu government is learnt to have suggested certain changes to the Central authorities, as it considers its system advanced. It is awaiting the latter’s response. Till  recently, only two States, including Kerala, had not signed memoranda of understanding with the Central government. A couple of weeks ago, the Kerala Food and Civil Supplies department issued an order, paving the way for the signing of the MoU. 

The scheme envisages not only introducing the major technological reforms but also strengthening the technology-driven infrastructure in the Public Distribution System (PDS) for ”transformative change in the entire PDS ecosystem,” the government told the Lok Sabha in December last. The scheme is to be implemented in collaboration with all States/U.T.s, with a total cost of about ₹350 crore. Its tenure, as of now, ends in 2025-26.