Farmers should be ensured markets within reach, no middlemen: Govt

To make the income of the farmers double, the Centre is trying tooth and nail to enhance the production of food grain, to reduce the cost, to find out the new means and ways for the incomes related to farmers and to give them better return of their produces in appropriate marketing system. 

While addressing the pertinent issue, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh said, “The markets must be within the reach of farmers and there must not be any middle man between them and consumers. The prices of yield should be discovered in a transparent way and the farmers must be paid the price of their yield without any delay.”

Singh further added that the Centre is raising such an infrastructure throughout the country through which market will be linked directly with the farmers and consumers will be capable to buy the agricultural products from farms of farmers directly. Stressing on online trading platforms, Singh said, “Farmers can sale their produces through online trading from anywhere and they can obtain better prices of their produces as per its quality. If farmer is not satisfied with the price, he can reject even the highest bid. Option of online payment system is also available to farmers.”

The e-NAM (National Agricultural Market) is in operation since April 2016 and by the year 2018, total 585 mandis are proposed to be linked with e-NAM portal, Singh said at an event which was organized by ASSOCHAM. According to Agriculture Ministry report, by September, 2016, 250 mandis have been linked with e-NAM against a target of 200 mandis. 

The states which have made three mandatory amendments to their APMC Act can join the e-NAM platform. The amendments are provision of e-trading, single point levy of mandi fee and single trading licence valid throughout the states. Two major states like Bihar and Kerala don’t have APMC Act at present and are not on the e-NAM portal.