Govt launches e-market platform connecting 21 mandis from 8 states

New Delhi, Apr 14 (KNN) To facilitate online trading of identified agricultural commodities which will fetch the right price for farmers, an e-market platform has been set up connecting as many as 21 mandis from 8 states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the National Agriculture Market today, as per an official release.

Earlier, briefing the media about the launch, Union Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh said that the government had approved the National Agriculture Market (NAM) Scheme on 1st July 2015 with the objective to usher the much needed agri-marketing reforms in order that farmers produce may fetch the best prices.

The scheme was sanctioned with a budget of Rs. 200 crores and with the aim to integrate 585 regulated markets with the common e-market platform by March 2018.

Since agri-market reforms are integral to NAM, reforms of State APMC Act in terms of (a) a single license for trading to be valid across the State, (b) single point levy of market fee and (c) provision for electronic auction as a mode for price discovery, has been made a pre-condition for integration with NAM, the Minister said.

In addition, he said that many States and Union Territories had expressed their willingness to join NAM, however, detailed proposals were received from 12 States for integration of 365 mandis.  Of these, 21 mandis from 8 States (Gujarat, Telangana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh) have been selected for the Pilot launch of the NAM e-market platform.

The NAM portal is being formally launched today to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.  It will be an electronic launch with the push of a button by the Prime Minister.

Among the commodities to be traded through NAM are – Paddy, wheat, maize, onion, shelling peas, tamarind, potato, cumin, moong, turmeric, etc.

Other dignitaries who will be present on the occasion are Union Minister for Communications and IT - Ravi Shankar Prasad; Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare - Mohanbhai K. Kundariya; Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan.

Other guests include Senior Officers from the Central and State Governments, Presidents of CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM, Farmers from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

Simultaneously in the 21 pilot mandis across 8 States, state dignitaries and VIPs will be present to inaugurate the e-portal for online trading of identified agricultural commodities. (KNN Bureau- with PIB inputs)