Market Participation and Price Determinants of Ragi (Finger Millet) in Odisha, India: An Analysis of Shri Anna Abhiyan Procurement Efficacy

Abstract

The study has addressed the paradox of declining farmer participation despite increasing minimum support price (MSP) guarantees for food crops in India. Following a mixed-methods approach, it has analysed primary data collected from 1,760 Ragi growers across 10 districts of Odisha from 2021–2022 to 2023–2024. For analysis, both multinomial logistic regression and two-stage least squares regression models have been used. The study has revealed that formal market participation increased from 28.5% to 72.8% during 2021–2024, with better Mandi access providing a significant price premium of ₹8.45/kg (a 22% increase over the mean informal market price). However, 26% of the farmers sold less farm produce in Mandis in 2023–2024, indicating emerging challenges. The critical barriers include fair average quality (FAQ) standards compliance (39.8% of farmers), payment delays (23.8%) and transportation costs (22.4%). MSP awareness has emerged as the strongest predictor of Mandi access (+40.2% probability), followed by transport availability (+25.5%); distance to Mandi has significantly reduced participation (–1.1% per km). Scheduled Tribe farmers have shown a higher Mandi dependency but limited access to direct consumer markets. The suggested policy implications include FAQ standards reform, decentralized procurement infrastructure, digital payment systems, transport subsidies for remote farmers and farmer producer organization empowerment. The study has concluded that while Shree Anna Abhiyan has successfully established a procurement channel with economic benefits, its inclusivity requires addressal of compound barriers through integrated solutions focusing on infrastructure, information access and institutional efficiency for equitable agricultural transformation. JEL Classification: Q12, Q13, Q18, C25, O13