Farmers worried as over 150 lorries loaded with paddy wait amid rain in Nagapattinam

More than 150 lorries loaded with paddy procured through Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs) have remained parked for over a week along the Puthur–Nagore East Coast Road near Nagapattinam, triggering concern among farmers over possible damage to the stock due to summer showers.

The lorries, waiting in a nearly 2-km-long queue on the bypass stretch near Puthur, are carrying paddy bags awaiting movement to storage godowns and rice mills. Though the bags have been covered with tarpaulin sheets, farmers fear prolonged exposure to moisture could affect the quality of the grain.

According to official sources, samba and thaladi paddy cultivation had been carried out on around 1.8 lakh acres across Nagapattinam district this year, and harvest operations had been completed. The procured paddy was initially moved from DPCs to the Kovilpathu godown and temporary storage centres while part of the stock was transported to other districts for milling through freight trains.

However, movement of paddy bags from procurement centres had reportedly remained irregular for over three months owing to election-related work, resulting in the accumulation of thousands of bags at DPCs. Shortage of lorries and alleged administrative delays had compounded the problem.

After the elections, transportation of paddy bags from procurement centres resumed through lorries, and stocks were moved to godowns and by rail till May 8. Thereafter, delays in weighing and despatch operations reportedly led to a fresh bottleneck, leaving loaded lorries stranded on the roadside for several days.

Official sources in the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) said railway wagons had not been made available for the past one week, resulting in delays in the movement of paddy bags and the piling up of lorries. The officials, however, expressed confidence that the backlog would be cleared within a day or two.

S.R. Tamilselvan of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association said farmers were anxious over the possibility of moisture affecting the procured paddy if rains continued. “Even though the bags are covered with tarpaulin sheets, continuous exposure to rain and moisture may damage the stock. Authorities should expedite transportation and storage arrangements,” he said.