Hundreds of farmers under the banner of the Odisha Sramajeebee Mancha on Tuesday staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate in Chhatrapur demanding opening of mandis for procurement of groundnuts in Ganjam district.
led by Mancha convenor Anjan Pradhan, the protesters alleged that though nearly 600 quintals of groundnuts were harvested in 10 blocks in the district, the Government is yet to open a single mandi to procure the oilseed from the farmers.
“We distributed moong and groundnut seeds in the Phailin-hit areas like Beguniapada, Hinjilikatu, Chatrapur and Seragada. After harvest, it was found that the market price of groundnut slashed to `30 per kg against the seed cost of `38 per kg. Hence, the State Agriculture Department should open mandis soon to procure groundnut at an appropriate price,” said Pradhan. The agitators also submitted a memorandum to the district Collector to this effect.