Chennai, Dec 18 (IANS) With the Samba harvest set to begin in early January, farmers across the Cauvery Delta are urging the Tamil Nadu government to immediately convene a pre-procurement meeting and release the procurement policy, emphasising that any further delay could expose them to the same challenges faced during this year’s Kuruvai procurement.

Farmers recalled how the Kuruvai season witnessed poor planning and severe losses, with harvested paddy remaining stacked at Direct Procurement Centres during heavy monsoon rains. The lack of adequate vehicles, gunny bags, manpower and a centralised transport system caused delays, leading to damage and financial setbacks.

They believe lessons from that experience must guide this year’s Samba procurement to prevent similar disruptions.

Despite the impact of monsoon rains and the destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah, Samba cultivation in the Delta region is estimated to cross 10.50 lakh acres.

Tiruvarur and Thanjavur alone account for 3.62 lakh acres and 3.40 lakh acres respectively. Early Samba crops are expected to reach procurement centres in the first week of January, necessitating swift government action.

Farmers argue that a pre-procurement meeting chaired by the State Chief Secretary would allow agricultural and revenue departments, procurement agencies and transport officials to coordinate effectively.

Such a meeting, they say, would address bottlenecks in advance — particularly transport logistics, storage arrangements and the availability of gunny bags — to avoid piling of produce at procurement centres.

They also point out that other major rice-producing states such as Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal mandate pre-procurement meetings annually, helping them prepare better.

Tamil Nadu, however, has not held such consultations since 2022, and farmers believe the absence of this mechanism contributed to last season’s setbacks.

The farmers are urging that the meeting be held in Thanjavur, where key stakeholders from across the Delta can participate, voice their concerns and align expectations.

With only a few weeks left before Samba procurement begins, they insist that the government issue the procurement policy and announce incentives without delay.

They argue that proactive planning is vital to protect harvested paddy from climatic risks, ensure efficient collection at procurement centres and safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of farming families dependent on the season’s yield.

–IANS

aal/pgh