Centre rejects TN’s plea to relax paddy moisture norm by 5%

Farmers may have to dry their crops or sell them to traders at lower rates

- B ANBUSELVAN @Chennai

NEARLY three weeks after three central teams inspected rain-soaked paddy fields across Tamil Nadu, the union government has rejected the state’s request to raise the permissible moisture content in paddy for public procurement from 17% to 22%.

The centre, however, has increased the minimum limit allowed for buying discoloured, broken, and sprouted paddy grains from 5% to 7%.

The decision will force farmers to incur additional labour cost in drying paddy crops with 19%-20% moisture content to reach the approved limit of 17% amid persisting wet weather across delta and other districts. Farmers without proper drying infrastructure may be forced to sell their produce at lower rates to private traders. It may be noted that the union government had earlier granted relaxation in moisture norms of up to 19%-20% in 2020-21 and 2022-23 due to high humidity and rainfall.

In a recent communication to the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC), which procures paddy under the central pool on behalf of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has said that the permissible moisture level for paddy for Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2025-26 will remain at 17%.