AIADMK General Secretary EPS Demands Direct Paddy Procurement Support

AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) has strongly urged the state government to open direct paddy procurement centers (ADPCs) across the Cauvery Delta districts without any further delay. Speaking to reporters in Salem following constituency meetings, EPS noted that unseasonal pre-monsoon showers have damaged harvested crops left in drying yards, placing farmers in immense financial distress. He demanded that the TVK government relax moisture content norms for procurement to prevent farmers from falling prey to distress sales by private traders. The AIADMK leader also criticized the current administration for failing to clear pending state-advised bonus dues for sugarcane farmers, reminding the government of its pre-election commitments. Palaniswami warned that if immediate remedial measures, including transit compensation for affected delta farmers, are not announced within the next 48 hours, the AIADMK will organize state-wide protests outside district collectorates. Agricultural department officials clarified that procurement centers are being scaled up incrementally based on moisture readings and harvesting schedules reported by district collectors. However, farmer unions have echoed EPS's concerns, emphasizing that swift intervention is vital to safeguard rural livelihoods as agricultural credit repayments come due at the end of the current financial quarter.