Long way to go

e-NAM's success depends on APMC reforms

The government’s agricultural marketing initiative to create a seamless pan-Indian electronically linked national agriculture market (e-NAM) has taken close to three years to carry out its first inter-state trade deal in agri-products. Though 585 mandis operated by Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) in 16 states and two Union Territories have been linked with e-NAM, its platform has been used so far only to transact business within the same mandis or, in some cases, between the mandis of the same states. This had denied the farmers the opportunity to earn a higher income by selling their produce at the best prices