Chennai, Dec 16 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies minister on Friday said that the state has procured 1.5 lakh tonnes more paddy than what was purchased last year during the kuruvuai season.

In a statement, the minister said that a total of 8.54 lakh tonnes of paddy was procured during this kuruvai season which is 1.5 lakh tonnes more than the previous year.

The state government is also planning to open 3500 Direct Procurement Centres (DPCs) for the samba and thalady paddy from the farmers during the current season. The minister said that of these 3500 DPCs, 650 centres are in Thanjavur district.

The paddy-producing districts like Tiruvarur would get 525 DPCs while 175 would come up in Nagapattinam and Myladuthurai districts. As many as 250 will function in Cuddalore district for procuring Samba and Thalady paddy from farmers. The statement also said that the DPCs are equipped with moisture measuring machines, tarpaulin sheets, and gunny bags that are required for storing paddy procured from the farmers.

The state government was expecting an amount of Rs 6,813 crore which was the subsidy for sugar and rice that were distributed through the Public Distribution Systems(PDS).