Central Govt To Set Up Online National Agriculture Market

03 July, New Delhi

Government of India has approved the creation of a common electronic platform which will allow farmers and traders to sell their produce to buyers anywhere in the country.

Currently, Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) acts in different states permit the first sale of crops after harvesting by farmers only in regulated market yards or mandis. As of now, in most cases, multiple licences are required to trade in different mandis within the same state.

Government has allocated 200 crore rupees for three years to set up an online national agriculture market by integrating 585 wholesale mandis across India, a move aimed at providing farmers free market access to realise better price.

There are about 7,000 mandis in the country regulated under the APMC Act. Union Agriculture Ministry has appointed Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium to set up a common e-platform.

The agency will integrate 250 mandis in the current fiscal, 200 mandis in 2016-17 and 135 mandis in 2017-18. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said that the online platform, integrating 585 mandis, would be operational in next six months.

The Karnataka government has already set up its own online agri-market platform integrating 13 mandis, while Maharashtra is doing on a pilot basis.