Chennai, Nov 3 : As the Kuruvai harvest draws to a close across the Cauvery Delta, the paddy procurement process too is nearing completion under the close supervision of District Collectors.

Officials said over 90 per cent of the Kuruvai harvest has been completed in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, and Nagapattinam districts -- where 1.99 lakh acres, 1.91 lakh acres, 97,727 acres, and 74,667 acres, respectively, were cultivated this season.

Following widespread farmer complaints about delays in procurement, the number of Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs) was increased. Each centre was directed to procure between 2,000 and 3,000 bags of paddy daily.

Collectors in all Delta districts personally inspected the DPCs, ensuring smooth transportation of the procured stock to warehouses. Officials were instructed to prevent hoarding in front of procurement centres, and more than 90 per cent of the procured paddy has already been moved to storage points.

The state also faced a shortage of gunny bags and jute threads, prompting emergency procurement from West Bengal. Of the two crore bags ordered, 54 lakh arrived by rail at Thanjavur and Kumbakonam on Sunday from Kolkata, easing the bottleneck in packing and transportation.

However, farmers remain deeply frustrated over losses suffered due to delays and poor planning.

With intermittent northeast monsoon showers, harvested paddy stacked outside DPCs began to sprout in many places, causing major financial distress.

Delta farmers have demanded compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre for the damage caused.

Farmer association leader K.M. Selvaraghavan said, 'Out of 6.13 lakh acres of Kuruvai cultivation, around 30 per cent of the crop ready for harvest was submerged in rainwater and destroyed. Another 10-20 per cent of the harvested paddy sprouted due to continuous rain. The poor procurement pace and lack of contingency planning have led to heavy losses.'

He added that around 60,000 acres of standing Samba and Thalady crops were also damaged by the rains.

'Farmers have pledged jewellery or borrowed money to cultivate their land, but the government still follows an outdated 33 per cent loss assessment method. This must change -- Rs 40,000 per acre should be paid as compensation,' he said.

Farmers also alleged that despite the Chief Minister's interaction with Delta District Collectors, the focus was only on procurement volume -- not on addressing practical issues such as moisture relaxation, rain damage prevention, or transportation delays. They said repeated appeals on these issues, including bribery and logistics problems, were ignored, leaving them vulnerable once again during the monsoon procurement cycle.

/IANS