Tamil Nadu’s historic paddy harvest for 2024-25, driven by abundant Cauvery water and a sharp rise in cultivation, has spiralled into a major procurement crisis across delta districts. With 47.99 lakh tonnes of paddy already procured the highest ever recorded the state is struggling with overflowing purchase centres, moisture-damaged grain, transport bottlenecks and rising tensions between Chennai and New Delhi over quality norms.
Chief Minister M K Stalin, who earlier hailed the year as a “record season”, has now written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging urgent relaxation of Fair Average Quality norms and an increase in the Centre’s procurement target for the state. The crisis comes just as the Northeast monsoon sets in, leaving thousands of farmers racing against rain and humidity to save their crop.
What triggered the bumper harvest
The roots of the surplus lie in an exceptional monsoon and a full Mettur dam. From June 1 onward, Tamil Nadu received nearly 161.6 tmc ft of Cauvery water at Biligundulu more than 100 tmc ft above what the state is entitled to for that period. With storage levels staying above 90 tmc ft through August, farmers in the Cauvery delta planted with confidence.
The Kuruvai season, which generally covers about 4.4 lakh acres, expanded dramatically. By August 10, acreage had crossed 6.09 lakh acres nearly 40 percent higher than the norm and 57 percent more than the previous year. Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts alone accounted for nearly four lakh acres.
This expanded sowing translated directly into procurement volumes. By February 1, 2025, the state had already procured eight lakh tonnes of paddy, six lakh tonnes of which came from delta districts. By July-end, procurement touched 44.49 lakh tonnes, brushing past the previous all-time record. Officials projected the final figure would reach nearly 47 lakh tonnes.
The bumper output reflected not only a revival of cultivation in the delta but robust rainfall and expanded acreage in non-delta regions as well.
How the system buckled under pressure
While the output was unprecedented, the timing was disastrous. Unseasonal rains early in the year forced delays in sowing for many farmers, pushing Kuruvai harvesting dangerously close to the onset of the Northeast monsoon. The crop that should have been safely harvested by late September was still standing in fields or stacked at Direct Purchase Centres when the first heavy showers arrived.
The result was chaos across the delta. Paddy bags piled up under open skies. Centres designed to hold 3,000 bags were storing more than 10,000. Germination began in sacks soaked by rain. Farmers queued for days waiting for their turn at DPCs. The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, already stretched thin, struggled to move stocks from purchase centres to godowns and hulling mills.
In Thanjavur, evacuation of procured grain had to be ramped up sixfold from about 2,000 tonnes per day to nearly 12,000 tonnes using road, rail and additional milling capacity. Nagapattinam saw an almost tenfold rise in procurement over the previous year, handling more than 72,000 tonnes from 14,600 farmers.
District administrations scrambled to add more DPCs and extend procurement timings. Nagapattinam alone expanded from 23 centres to 124. By October 28, minister R Sakkarapani announced that Tamil Nadu had procured 11.21 lakh tonnes of paddy within 58 days of the Kuruvai season, moving more than 30,000 tonnes daily.
For many farmers, however, these interventions came too late. Images of sprouting bags, grain drying on roads, and crowded procurement yards dominated local media and fuelled political attacks on the state government.
Why moisture norms are at the centre of the crisis
The most contentious issue is the Centre’s quality mandate particularly the cap of 17 percent moisture content for procurement under Fair Average Quality norms.
In the delta, where Kuruvai harvest now coincides almost exactly with the Northeast monsoon, farmers say these norms are unrealistic. Drying paddy to 17 percent moisture in humid, rainy conditions is nearly impossible without heavy losses. Many argue that the Centre must raise the limit to at least 22–24 percent, aligning the guidelines with southern climatic conditions rather than northern kharif patterns.
Stalin conveyed this urgency in his letter to the Prime Minister. He urged the Centre to raise the moisture cap to 22 percent, increase Tamil Nadu’s Kharif procurement target beyond the existing 16 lakh tonnes, and relax sampling norms for fortified rice kernels that are slowing milling operations.
Following the state’s appeal, a central team visited districts like Cuddalore to assess moisture levels. Farmers told officials that continuous rains had pushed moisture far above the prescribed norms and pleaded for temporary relaxation to prevent widespread losses.
Varieties, cropping patterns and structural concerns
Experts note that the crisis also exposes deeper structural issues. Over the past decade, traditional flood-resistant varieties suited to the Cauvery delta have been increasingly replaced by high-yielding hybrids and short-term varieties. While these promise higher grain output, they often mature later and are more vulnerable when harvests collide with monsoon rains.
Researchers associated with the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute argue that the state must reassess varietal choices and promote paddy types aligned with delta hydrology and monsoon cycles. They also point out that national FAQ norms were designed without considering the unique climatic realities of the southern delta.
A crisis intertwined with policy, planning and climate
The clash of record production, monsoon timing, inflexible procurement rules and logistical limitations has turned Tamil Nadu’s most successful harvest year into an unexpected crisis. With both Chennai and Delhi under pressure to respond quickly, farmers continue to wait outside procurement centres their hard-earned crop caught between rain clouds and red tape.