ADMK Workers Rights Retrieval Committee coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, urged the Tamil Nadu government to increase the procurement price of paddy to ₹3,500 a quintal. He also asked that the increased procurement price be announced during the upcoming Assembly session.
In a statement, he referred to the DMK’s election manifesto which assured farmers that the procurement price for paddy would be increased to ₹2,500 a quintal. “It has been three years since the DMK government came to power but this assurance has not been fulfilled,” he pointed out.
At present, the procurement price for paddy is ₹2,310 a quintal for Grade A varieties and ₹2,265 a quintal for common varieties, he said. “The procurement price is quite low given the increasing cost of cultivation year by year,” he contended.