Overview
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 18 outlining three urgent requests tied to kharif procurement.
- The state asked to lift the rice procurement ceiling from 16 lakh metric tonnes to 20 lakh metric tonnes to match current arrivals.
- Stalin pressed for a moisture norm relaxation from 17% to 22% after central assessment teams visited in October but no order was issued.
- He also sought approval to increase fortified rice kernel packing from 25 kg to 50 kg and to raise the sample lot size from 10 MT to 25 MT.
- Procurement has reached 14.11 lakh MT from 1.86 lakh farmers through 1,932 centres with Rs 3,559 crore disbursed, and a response from the Centre is awaited as the Prime Minister visits Coimbatore on November 19.