Odisha farmers irked over delay in opening of mandis for rabi crop procurement

Farmers across Odisha’s Koraput district have raised alarms over the delayed opening of government mandis for rabi crop procurement, even as pre-monsoon rains threaten harvested paddy. Under the Jeypore sub-division, growers in areas like Kundra, Kotpad, and Borigumma have already harvested 20–30% of their paddy but face difficulties due to lack of storage and non-operational mandis.

The Koraput district administration had initially scheduled procurement to begin on May 25, as decided in a district-level meeting chaired by Collector V Keerthi Vasan. A robust procurement supply chain and logistics plan was drawn up to operate 73 mandis across the district, targeting the purchase of 56,644 metric tonnes of paddy. Agencies such as pani panchayats, LAMPS, and SHGs were mobilized to support procurement and supply chain management.

However, civil supplies officials postponed operations to June 5, citing incomplete crop-cutting and ongoing rainfall. The delay has highlighted challenges in procurement supply chain management and the need for better weather-resilient infrastructure. Farmers urge timely mandi operations and secure storage through RMC godowns.
This incident underscores the difference between procurement and supply chain management, where field realities impact execution timelines calling for strategic planning from every procurement supply chain analyst involved.