Chennai, Jan 3 (BPNS)

The heavy rains that lashed the delta districts of Tamil Nadu including Thanjavur and Tiruvarur in the past two days have led to a crop loss of around 20,000 acres of paddy and 1000 acres of black gram.

Agriculture department officials told IANS that a detailed study on the exact crop loss is on but on an estimated study it was found that 20,000 acres of Samba paddy, 1000 acres of black gram, and groundnuts were destroyed in the heavy rains.

The officials also said that around 50,000 tonnes of paddy that was procured and stocked in an open stockyard of the Tamil Nadu State Civil Supplies Corporation(TNCSC) at Sannapuram near Kumbakonam were also drenched in rains.

Farmers said that about 500 acres of Samba paddy crop in the Pudukottai district were also affected and lost in rains during the past two days.

The CPI has come out against the paddy stocked in the open yard of the TNCSC getting drenched in water and called upon immediate action against the errant officials of the organization. CPI Kumbakonam North district Secretary, M.A. Bharathi while speaking to BPNS said, “ How can officials be this callous and we strongly recommend the government to take immediate action against these erring officers of the TNCSC against the loss of paddy by drenching. 50,000 tonnes of Paddy was procured by the TNCSC from farmers and stored openly leading to the drenching in water and it has to be seen how it could be used. Most of the procured paddy drenched in rainwater is lost.”

However, TNCSC officials said that all the paddy that was drenched is not destroyed and that it would be taken to rice mills for hulling and that covers would be put in open stockyard to prevent any further drenching in rains.