Malkangiri, Jan 29: Under the “Shree Anna Abhiyan” scheme of the Agriculture Department, the first ragi (millet) procurement mandi for the Kharif Marketing Season 2025–26 was inaugurated today at Nuaguda (Chedenga) under Mathili Block in Malkangiri district.
With the opening of this mandi, local small and marginal farmers will get the opportunity to sell their ragi at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹4,886 per quintal. This year, it has been decided by the District-Level Millet Procurement Committee to procure 50,000 quintals of ragi through 32 mandis across Mathili, Chitrakonda, Khairput, Korukonda, Kalimela, and Malkangiri blocks of the district.The inauguration ceremony was attended by Chitrakonda MLA Mangu Khilla as the chief guest. Among the distinguished guests were Chief District Agriculture Officer Mahesh Padhi, Secretary of the Regulated Market Committee Sanjay Kumar Das, Branch Manager of Odisha Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation Ltd. Bikram Singh, Panchayat Samiti Member of Nuaguda Dampurudhar Perma, and District Project Coordinator of Shree Anna Abhiyan Alok Purohit.
The speakers stated that the initiative aims to promote millet cultivation, enhance farmers’ income, and ensure nutritional security. They emphasized that increased promotion and consumption of nutritious grains like ragi would contribute significantly to improving public health.
Through this procurement mandi, transparent and convenient purchasing processes, timely payments, and a middleman-free system will be ensured. Local farmers have welcomed the initiative and expressed their happiness over the step taken by the government.
Officials from the Agriculture Department, local public representatives, members of self-help groups, and a large number of farmers were present at the event.