The Tamil Nadu government is taking steps to avoid open storage of paddy brought to direct procurement centres (DPCs) by farmers so that the produce is not affected in rain, Food Minister R. Sakkarapani informed the Assembly on Wednesday.
He said the procurement was being made at the earliest to avoid delays at the DPCs and prevent storage in the open. He was responding to a special call attention motion moved by AIADMK co-coordinator and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
Mr. Palaniswami said paddy stored in the open was affected in the recent rain, especially in Mayiladuthurai and Madurai districts. Since the issue was recurring, the former Chief Minister urged the government to come up with a solution.
Panruti MLA T. Velmurugan highlighted the lack of tarpaulin sheets at many DPCs and urged the government to construct godowns as a permanent solution to the issue.
AIADMK MLA and former Food Minister R. Kamaraj (Nannilam) called for measures to resolve the problem.
