On June 7, 2026, R. Vinoth, the Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, made a surprise visit to various paddy procurement and storage facilities in Kumbakonam municipality, Tamil Nadu. During his inspection, he directed officials to establish an additional open-air storage facility at Krishnapuram to mitigate grain loss during the ongoing procurement season. At the Patteeswaram Open Air Storage Centre, which has a capacity of 30,000 tonnes, he noted that 25,000 tonnes of paddy had already been stored. With expectations of procuring nearly 300,000 tonnes of paddy during the summer Kuruvai season, he emphasized the need to prepare about 50 acres of municipality-owned land for additional storage. Furthermore, Mr. Vinoth instructed officials to maintain adequate staffing to cover paddy stacks during rainfall and expedite securing land for a permanent storage facility at Thandanthotam. He also urged officials to ensure that farmers' paddy was procured promptly and that sufficient tarpaulins were available to protect against rain damage. Additionally, he called for solutions to address software issues hindering the registration of first-time sellers.