Author(s): Yajnya Dutta Nayak, CMA Rajendra Gouda
Haats, also known as weekly markets or periodic markets, provide goods and services to rural communities on a regular basis by setting up shop at predetermined times and locations on specific days of the week. The rise in the purchasing power of the rural masses due to the expansion of the economy as a whole has contributed to the haats' rising profile in recent years. Reaching rural consumers is difficult because of the market's dispersed demographic. People in rural areas are unable to sell and acquire goods and services in urban areas due to poor infrastructure and transportation constraints, thus their needs must be supplied elsewhere. Finding solutions to agricultural production and marketing difficulties in Odisha via the lens of Haats is the mission. Policymakers, social reformers, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), corporations, universities, and other academic institutions are just some of the groups who stand to benefit greatly from this study, whether by using its findings to launch new studies in this field or by putting them into practise immediately. The results of this research could inform policymakers' decisions about how to increase revenue and improve infrastructure at periodic haats. In addition, it may aid corporations in developing and implementing individualised policies and strategies to reduce the sale of identical goods and services in rural haats, thereby enhancing people's quality of life.