Plan to promote ragi through PDS shops fails to 'rice'

THE pilot scheme launched by Tamil Nadu to distribute 2 kg of ragi (finger millet) instead of rice to eligible and interested ration cardholders through Public Distribution System (PDS) in Dharmapuri and the Nilgiris districts in May 2023 to promote millet consumption is yet to gain momentum, primarily due to challenges in procuring ragi from farmers.

- B ANBUSELVAN @Chennai

This is despite Tamil Nadu being the second largest producer of ragi, only next to Karnataka. The state's annual production ranges between 2.27 lakh and 2.55 lakh metric tons (MTs), with Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Erode, Tiruvannamalai, and Salem being the top ragi-producing districts.

Moreover, the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 42.9 per kg offered by the government at its Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs) is higher than what the farmers usually get in the open market.

A section of ragi farmers TNIE spoke to acknowledged that private buyers offer between Rs 3,900 and Rs 4,000 per 100 kg, which is lesser than the Rs 4,290 they can get in DPCs.

Officials and farmers say the immediate payment of cash by merchants in the open market and the culture of taking loans in advance from these merchants by farmers to manage their cultivation costs are the key factors that push them to sell in open markets.