Shortage of load workers stalls paddy procurement in Trichy

Trichy: Paddy procurement in Trichy district has slowed down due to an acute shortage of load workers at Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs), leaving farmers anxious as their harvested grains lie exposed to rain.
Farmers said paddy has remained unsold for days at DPCs, increasing the risk of moisture damage. "I brought four tonnes to the DPC at Pethupatti in Thuraiyur block. It's been lying there for a week without being procured due to the lack of workers," said N Balakrishnan, a farmer from Mangalamputhur village.
The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC), which operates DPCs, aims to procure 15,000 metric tonnes of Navarai (summer) paddy from around 1,000 hectares in the district.
Eight temporary centres have been opened for the season.
While farmers prefer selling to the government at the Minimum Support Price—Rs 2,450 per quintal for fine varieties and Rs 2,405 for common ones—the lack of workers has brought operations to a crawl. Load workers are essential for weighing, bagging, and loading the grain.
"There's a labour shortage. Local workers are unwilling to work at DPCs, so we've hired North Indian labourers," said G Chitrarasu, TNCSC regional manager.
With intermittent rains over the past few weeks, farmers fear that the moisture content in their paddy may rise above the 17% limit set by TNCSC for full payment. Between 17% and 20%, payment is cut; beyond 20%, the grain is rejected altogether.
"Grains are starting to germinate due to the delay. If the rains continue, we'll face heavy losses," Balakrishnan warned.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Hans India

27 minutes ago

• Hans India

Think out of box to meet future needs of Hyd'bad denizens: CS to planners

Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao has emphasised the critical need for advanced planning to efficiently meet the future requirements for basic amenities for citizens, given the exponential growth of Hyderabad and its surrounding areas. The Chief Secretary further explained that these reviews of local bodies are being undertaken as per the instructions of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. Accompanied by MAUD (Municipal Administration and Urban Development) officials and the Rangareddy District Collector, the Chief Secretary visited Shamshabad Municipality and conducted a review meeting. During the session, the Chief Secretary ascertained information regarding the Municipal Corporation's jurisdiction and population. Furthermore, he reviewed the services being extended by the Municipal Council to its citizens, including water supply, street lighting, drainage networks, and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). The Chief Secretary stressed the importance of effective property tax collection to finance various activities undertaken by the Urban Local Body (ULB). Following the review meeting, the Chief Secretary visited the Eco Park developed by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) across approximately 85 acres at Kothwalguda, at a cost of Rs 75 crore. He inspected various components of the park, such as boardwalks, the bird aviary, the arrival plaza, and other landscaped facilities. This park is slated to be opened to the public within two months by the Chief Minister, once the finishing works of the arrival plaza are complete. The Chief Secretary also visited the Budvel layout, currently under development by HMDA. The Municipal Commissioner of HMDA explained the salient features of the layout, including multiple use developments and infrastructure in the form of wide roads (45m and 36m), as well as other proposed trunk infrastructure like water supply, drainage, and underground electrification.

New Indian Express

30 minutes ago

• New Indian Express

Net direct tax collection contracts by 1.4% in first quarter of FY26

NEW DELHI: Net direct tax collection in the first quarter (till 19 June 2025) of FY26 has contracted by 1.39% compared to the corresponding period last year. Even the gross tax collections during the period showed a moderate growth. The provisional figures released by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) show that gross direct tax collections in the first quarter stand at Rs 5.45 lakh crore, a 4.86% growth from Rs 5.2 lakh crore in FY 2024-25 (as on June 19, 2024). Refunds have surged by 58.04%, amounting to Rs 86,385.31 crore during the period, significantly higher than Rs 54,660.79 crore in the previous fiscal year's comparable period.

Time of India

32 minutes ago

• Time of India

Chhattisgarh State Consumer Commission orders SBI Life to pay Rs 50 lakh to widow, rejects concealment claim

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed SBI Life Insurance Company to pay Rs 50 lakh to Savitri Salam, whose husband's insurance claim was initially rejected. The Commission found that the insurer failed to conclusively prove concealment of pre-existing diseases by the deceased. Savitri Salam, a resident of Surdongar village in Keshkal tehsil, filed a complaint after her husband's health deteriorated, leading to his demise on 16 June 2021. She had sought a claim under a policy taken by her husband, but SBI Life Insurance rejected it, alleging that he had provided incorrect information about his pre-existing medical conditions and treatment in the proposal form. The insurance company argued before the District Consumer Commission that the insured suffered from diabetes and heart disease prior to taking the policy, and this was noted in his medical records from AIIMS, Raipur, as part of his medical history. Based on this, the claim was rejected due to misrepresentation of health information in the proposal form. The District Consumer Commission, Kanker, accepted Savitri Salam's complaint and directed the insurance company to pay the full claim amount within one month. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo SBI Life Insurance then challenged this order before the Chhattisgarh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. During the appeal hearing, the bench of Justice Gautam Chourdiya, President, and Pramod Kumar Varma, Member, determined that the claim was rejected solely based on a note in the AIIMS, Raipur, medical record. No other medical records were presented to conclusively prove that the insured suffered from diabetes and heart disease before applying for the policy, had undergone any prior treatment, or was on continuous medication. The Commission observed there was no evidence to suggest that the insured was aware of these conditions when he submitted the proposal. The State Commission concluded that it was not appropriate to claim the insured intentionally concealed important facts about his pre-existing diseases in the proposal. The appeal was rejected, and SBI Life Insurance Company has been directed to pay Rs 50 lakh from the life insurance claim, after deducting the Rs 56,621 premium amount already refunded to Savitri Salam by the insurance company. This amount will also include 7% annual simple interest from the date the complaint was filed (27 December 2023).