He also appealed to the government to expedite the procurement of paddy bags and recommended increasing daily procurement targets at Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs) to meet farmers' demands.

The CPI(M) has called on the state government to provide compensation of Rs 35,000 per acre for the affected crops.

The CPI has also suggested increasing the permissible moisture content for paddy procurement to 22 per cent, citing challenges faced by farmers due to the unseasonal rain.

In response to the widespread crop damage, the Tamil Nadu government has already appealed to the Central government to relax the permissible moisture content for paddy procurement from the current 17 per cent to 22 per cent.

Food Minister R. Sakkarapani confirmed that a formal request has been sent to the Centre to address this issue.

The government revealed that paddy procurement for the 2022-23 Kharif marketing season has been ongoing since September 1, 2024.

From September to January 17, 2025, a total of 1,349 DPCs facilitated the procurement of 5,72,464 tonnes of paddy from 80,634 farmers, with Rs 1,378 crore directly credited to their bank accounts.

Despite these efforts, farmers in Tamil Nadu's delta districts, often referred to as the "rice bowl" of the state, are facing severe distress.

Unseasonal rain, cloudy skies, and frost have made it difficult to dry harvested paddy, resulting in grains with higher moisture content.

The districts of Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam have been hit hard by heavy rainfall in recent days, leading to severe inundation and water stagnation. These conditions are expected to cause extensive damage to Samba paddy crops. The state has already experienced a 40 per cent drop in Samba paddy production in the Delta districts during the 2023-24 season due to a deficit in the northeast monsoon.

For the current season (2024-25), while there was adequate rainfall, inadequate de-silting and drainage measures have exacerbated the situation, leaving farmers vulnerable to significant crop loss.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS