Agri reform: National portal to cover 250 mandis by 2016

To ensure free flow of agricultural produce from one market to another and save farmers from multiple levies in mandis, the Centre has drawn a time-bound programme for developing a National Agriculture Market.

“The national e-platform developed for the propose will cover 250 mandis by September 2016 and by March 2018, 585 mandis will have the system so that farmers can access their produce across markets,” said Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh, while briefing about the Centre’s initiatives to members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee.

Stressing on providing agricultural commodities to consumers at reasonable prices, Singh said: “The Centre is actively working to usher in reforms of the agri marketing system in the interest of both farmers and consumers.”

He added: “The Centre has urged all state governments to introduce e-market platform to unify mandis in their respective states so that farmers are free to sell their produce anywhere. The agriculture department will provide free software and help in its customisation to the states.”

“The National Agriculture Market (NAM) will offer participants common marketplaces and real time prices at national level. It will create an efficient trading system for agri produce, which will enable transaction between buyers and sellers from their existing location, thus expanding the existing market and facilitating transaction in places where markets do not physically exist,” he said.