Farmers accuse TNCSC of hoarding old sacks instead of paddy in godowns

Farmers and activists from the CPI Tamil Nadu Vivasaayigal Sangam protested at Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation’s modern rice mill (MRM) on Monday against the alleged storage of lakhs of old, unusable gunny sacks and tarpaulins inside warehouses instead of paddy procured from farmers.
The MRM facility in Thirunageswaram, which serves paddy from Kumbakonam, Thiruvidaimarudur and Papanasam areas for the public distribution system, boasts large godowns with a combined capacity to safely store more than one lakh paddy bags.
On Monday, activists who managed to enter the premises after initial resistance found these godowns filled with discarded old sacks and thousands of tarpaulin covers instead of storing paddy procured from farmers.
The findings also contradict official justifications for open storage. Authorities repeatedly claimed that covered and plinth (CAP) open storage points were being used because the closed warehouses were already full with paddy.

Farmers pointed out that Monday’s revelation starkly exposes this claim as false, as the godowns were occupied not by paddy but by old and unusable gunny sacks. This contradiction has agitated farmers, as several thousand paddy bags stacked at the CAP storage point in Patteeswaram were recently drenched due to heavy rains.
Revenue officials rushed to the spot, pacified the protesters and facilitated access. The officials admitted they were unaware of the large-scale accumulation of unusable old sacks and assured prompt action to clear the godowns.

The sangam raised questions about accountability, asking how several lakh sacks were hoarded for so many years without the knowledge of officials. They demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and immediate steps to auction the old sacks.

The farmers urged TNCSC authorities to prioritise moving paddy procured at direct procurement centres (DPCs) into closed warehouses without delay and then transport it efficiently to hulling mills and freight rakes to prevent further damage and losses to farmers.

This article has been republished from The Times of India.