ROURKELA: ‘Ragi’ (millets) procurement started in Sundargarh with opening of the first ‘mandi’ of the district operating at Raiboga Large And Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (LAMPCS) in Kuanrmunda block on Tuesday.
Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation of Odisha Ltd (TDCCOL) MD JP Mohanty inaugurated the ‘mandi’ meant for farmers of Kuanrmunda block. Eight blocks-Hemgir, Balishankara, Lefripara, Tangarpali Rajgangpur, Kuarnmunda, Kutra and Nuagaon-have been included in the Odisha Millets Mission.
Administrative sources informed TDCCOL would procure 7,500 quintal of millets through 21 ‘mandis’ across the eight blocks. The Minimum Support Price for Fair Average Quality millets has been fixed at `3,295 per quintal and the procurement would continue till March 27 next year. The administration has set a target to procure millets from 5,889 farmers in the district.