MNI for agricultural produce to be implemented in Odisha

Bengaluru/Bhubaneswar: The first meeting of the expert committee to promote seamless inter-mandi and inter-state trade of agricultural produce through implementation of Market Yard of National Importance (MNI), was held in Bengaluru on Monday.

It has been proposed that MNI would be implemented in the states of Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Bihar and Odisha in the first phase. The committee has been assigned the task of recommending a framework for implementation, informed Sanjeeb Kumar Chadha, principal secretary of Cooperation department, member secretary, OSAM Board who is a member of the committee.

The committee has been assigned the task of recommending a framework for implementation of the MNI platform, which will work towards establishing an order-driven trade based on quality, quantity and transparent price discovery mechanism encompassing basic risk management and integrated logistics principles. The focus is on developing the inter-district and inter-state buyer base, Chadha said.

Standardisation of lot size, quality parameters, market rules would change based on location and season. Strengthening a transparent price discovery mechanism and enabling an assisted-integrated delivery/logistic model will help farmers’ produce reach inter-district and interstate buyers, he added.

In Odisha, MNI would be implemented for cotton, maize, ginger and chilli market yards in the first phase, Chadha said after the meeting.