Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. File
| Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar
The Union government has rejected Tamil Nadu’s request to increase the permissible moisture content for paddy procurement from 17% to 22%, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said on Thursday (November 20, 2025). Following heavy rains received in various parts of Tamil Nadu, the State government had requested for an increase in permissible moisture content.
Terming the rejection as “yet another betrayal,” Mr. Stalin, in a social media post on Thursday wrote: “The Prime Minister could not listen to the voice of Tamil Nadu requesting to procure paddy with more moisture content due to heavy rains? Why could not he [the Prime Minister] listen to the voice of farmers? Why couldn’t he [the Prime Minister] see their tears?”
Recalling instances in the past when the Union government accepted request to increase the moisture content in paddy for procurement, Mr. Stalin asked: “Why has the Union government, which relaxed norms for increasing the moisture content in paddy procurement on the request by Tamil Nadu government in the past, rejected it this time?”
The Chief Minister asked, “How do you think you are benefitting the farmers without granting any relief for heavy rains and also not by relaxing norms to increase the permissible moisture content for paddy procurement?”
Mr. Stalin appealed to the BJP-led Union government to reconsider and further hoped it would take a decision favouring the farming community.
The rejection of Tamil Nadu’s request on paddy procurement came just a day after the Prime Minister visited Coimbatore, one of the two cities for which Metro Rail project proposals were rejected by the BJP-led Union government, Mr. Stalin pointed out.
Three central teams had visited various parts of Tamil Nadu and also collected samples in the last week of October. The Chief Minister wrote to the Prime Minister earlier this week reiterating the request and sought for permission at the earliest. It was one of the three demands made by Mr. Stalin to Mr. Modi on behalf of the farmers of Tamil Nadu.
Published – November 20, 2025 01:09 pm IST
