Kuruvai crop suffers as Tamil Nadu farmers struggle with rain

Farmers in Tamil Nadu’s delta districts are grappling with mounting distress as continuous rainfall and delays in paddy procurement threaten the Kuruvai harvest, officials and farmers’ groups have said.

The Cauvery delta region, which relies on northeast monsoon rains for its paddy crop, has seen thousands of tonnes of harvested Kuruvai rice damaged or at risk of rotting due to heavy rains and logistical bottlenecks.

Leader of the Opposition and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami toured several affected districts on Wednesday, meeting farmers and inspecting rain-soaked paddy stacked outside Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs).

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu food and civil supplies minister R. Sakkarapani reviewed procurement and storage arrangements with district officials, assuring that steps were being taken to expedite lifting and milling. However, farmers’ associations have criticised the response as too late to prevent significant losses.

P.R. Pandian, president of the Coordination Committee of All Farmers Associations of Tamil Nadu, described the situation as “a historic bottleneck,” citing poor planning and coordination in procurement operations.

“This year, over 6.31 lakh acres were cultivated under Kuruvai, yielding nearly 13 lakh metric tonnes of paddy,” Pandian said. “So far, only around six lakh tonnes have been procured, leaving nearly four lakh tonnes exposed to rain.

Another two lakh tonnes are yet to be harvested. Paddy bags have been left for days outside DPCs and are now soaked by continuous downpours.”

Nagapattinam district, which saw over 1.1 lakh acres under cultivation due to steady releases from the Mettur reservoir, has been particularly affected. Farmers noted that what had initially promised to be a strong harvest has now been severely compromised.

Cauvery S. Dhanapalan, general secretary of the Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, said: “The Kuruvai crop was excellent this season, but continuous rainfall has damaged flowering and impacted the samba crop as well. More than 60 per cent of Kuruvai has been harvested, yet much of it lies drenched outside DPCs.”

Farmers report that DPCs are operating far beyond capacity, each built to store around 3,000 sacks but now holding over 10,000. Limited storage, transport delays, and slow movement of paddy to rice mills have further worsened the situation.

“There is confusion over milling orders, a shortage of loaders, and poor coordination between agencies,” Dhanapalan added. “Barely one-tenth of the paddy arriving at DPCs is being procured. The rest is left to spoil in the rain.”

With the monsoon still active, farmers fear continued losses unless urgent measures are taken to clear and process the harvested paddy promptly.

With IANS inputs