TN paddy procurement has gone up to 17.50 lakh tons:Minister

The procurement of paddy from Tamil Nadu has gone up in the last five years as a result of increase in minimum support price (MSP) offered to the crop, Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said Friday.

Reviewing the performance of the Food Corporation of India in the southern region, Paswan said the MSP went up from Rs 15.10 per kg in 2016-17 to Rs 17.70 per kg during 2018-19, Paswan said.

Procurement went up from 2.11 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 to 17.50 lakh tonnes in 2018-19.

Tamil Nadu, he said, is having enough stocks for meeting the buffer and strategic reserves with 11.16 lakh tonnes of rice and 88,000 tonnes of wheat as on date.

On the storage front too, Paswan said the Tamil Nadu region has seen an increase in capacity from 6.35 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 12.87 lakh tonnes in 2018-19.

Damage to foodgrains in storage has been reduced to zero during the current year as a result of strict monitoring and improvement in scientific storage methods, he said in a statement.

The 'food museum' at Thanjavur is expected to be ready by this year end, according to it.

In Thanjavur, where the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was established, the centre was setting up the first food museum at a cost of Rs 102 lakh.

"The work is progressing and we are expecting to open it by December 2019," the union minister said.

Paswan had laid the foundation stone for the 'food museum' in 2015.

According to officials, the museum is meant for displaying the growth and activities of the FCI and create awareness among farmers on the corporation's activities.

Initiatives on rationalising the labour force in FCI, Paswan said, has fetched excellent results.

"In the state alone, savings of an amount of Rs 35.60 lakh could be achieved in the past two years," he added.