National Agriculture Market, A Game Changer For Indian Farmers!

When 58% of Indians are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, it is very important to include them in the Digital India movement for maximum effect of technology.

With the launch of National Agriculture Market or eNAM, PM Modi led NDA Govt. has attempted to revolutionize Indian agriculture for ever.

We had reported earlier that this Digital Marketplace for agri-products would be launched in April. Agri-reforms like these were part of the Budget 2016 announcements, which had been declared as pro-farmer, pro-socialist.

As 21 mandis across 8 states are now interconnected, Indian farmers have just been exposed to an entirely new way of conducting business; a way which will enable them to get more returns, induce more transparency and use technology for maximum effects.

No wonder, that National Agriculture Market has already been hailed as a game changer.

What is eNAM?

Agriculture e-trading platform or eNAM will connect 585 regulated wholesale market or Agriculture Produce Market Committees ( APMCs) under one roof.

As of now, farmers can only sell their products to the nearest mandis, where middlemen negotiate the prices, and more than often, the farmer is left with a fraction of what has been traded.

But with eNAM, any farmer can connect with any buyer, across any wholesale market, and get maximum price of their products.

Which States & Commodities Are Part of eNAM?

In the first phase, 8 states have been included in this massive electronic trading platform for agri-products: Gujarat, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh.

25 commodities can now be traded in the electronic form, as 21 mandis or wholesale markets have been connected as of now, wherein farmers can sell their products directly to the wholesale buyers. These 25 commodities include: chana (black gram), castor seed, paddy, wheat, maize, turmeric, onion, mustard, mahua flower, tamarind and shelling pea.

Why eNAM is a Game Changer?

Some advantages of eNAM which can change Indian agriculture sector for ever:

• No middlemen involved in buying-selling of agri-products; hence better deal for farmers
• Less transaction costs involved
• Single license valid across all connected mandis
• Single point levy of all products
• Quality testing procedure introduced for buyers and sellers

As per the official website of eNAM, some of the tasks which can be accomplished using this online platform include:

• Information about commodity arrivals and prices
• Buying and selling crops
• Provision to respond to offers, and bargain

By March, 2018, Govt. aims to connect all 585 mandis across India, and offer a massive platform for Indian farmers. A budget of Rs 200 crore has been allocated for making this platform robust and effective.

Some states like Punjab, which hasn’t signed the APMC Act, are still reluctant to join this e-trading platform; as they earn approx. Rs 5000 crore from taxes and levies imposed on inter-state export of their agri-products. Talks are on to reach an agreement with such states, so that their farmers are also able to take advantage of this Digital India movement.

Here is the official website of National Agriculture Market.