Bengaluru/Bhubaneswar: The 1st meeting of the expert committee to promote seamless inter-mandi and inter-state trade of agricultural produce through the conceptualisation and implementation of Market Yard of National Importance (MNI) was held in Bengaluru on Monday.
It has been proposed that the MNI 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 the framework for implementation told Sanjeeb Kumar Chadha, Principal Secretary Cooperation department, Member Secretary, OSAM Board who is a member of the committee.
The Government of India has taken various measures for the benefit of the farming communities on a sustainable basis. Various programmes/schemes for the development of the agriculture sector are implemented in a decentralised manner with the flexibility for state governments to formulate and implement appropriate projects to suit their specific requirements.
The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare Department – Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (Agricultural Marketing Division), GoI has Constituted an Expert Committee to promote seamless inter-mandi and inter-State trade of agricultural produce through the conceptualisation and implementation of Market Yard of National Importance (MNI). Sanjeev Kumar Chadha, Principal Secretary, Cooperation Department, Government of Odisha-cum-Member Secretary, OSAM Board, is a member of the committee. The 1st meeting of the expert committee has been held in Bengaluru on Monday.
It has also been proposed that the MNI 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 the framework for implementation.
The MNI Platform 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 interstate buyer base. Standardization of lot size, quality parameters, assaying, and market rules shall 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.
To facilitate Inter-State trading, it is essential to strengthening the assaying of commodities so that distant traders can make informed decisions based on the assayed parameters inputted into the platform and offer their bids. Automating of assaying process and seamless porting of results to the electronic platform for display is the key to overcoming the challenge during peak season when arrivals are enormous. Appointment of third-party accredited assayers will facilitate trades on the MNI platform.
It has been decided to implement MNI in the state of Odisha for cotton, maize, ginger & chilly market yards in the 1st phase, Chadha said after the meeting.
