Online national agriculture market is likely to be launched on a pilot basis in some mandis from April, government said today.
In July, the Cabinet had approved setting up of an online national agriculture market with a budget of Rs 200 crore.
The online platform seeks to integrate 585 wholesale markets across India with an aim to provide more options to farmers to sell their produce.
"While the development and hosting of the electronic trading platform and launch in some pilot mandis is expected by April 1, 2016, it will eventually roll out to 200 mandis by September 30, 2016," Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said while addressing the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of his ministry here.
The remaining mandis will be covered thereafter but before 2017-18 fiscal, he said while briefing the committee on the progress made to set up national agriculture market (NAM).
A strategic partner to develop, operate and maintain the online agri-platform has been selected by the implementing agency Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), he said in a statement.
"I am told that 20 states and union territories have already showed initial interest in joining the NAM and further, Gujarat, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh not only sent their project proposals but that their grants have also been approved," Singh said.
Project proposals from other states like Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are also in the pipeline, he added.
Stating that NAM has potential to become a game changer, the minister said, "It will not only take the market closer to the farmer's gate but will open the markets across the country for him and what we will have before us is a better informed, better facilitated and stronger farmer."
It is time therefore to translate the concept into reality, he said, while stressing on the importance of constant dialogue on this issue with all stakeholders to allay apprehensions if any to ensure they become partners in the development of NAM.
The NAM is a comprehensive solution to issues that plague the present agri-marketing sector such as lack of access, poor infrastructure, information asymmetry, lack of transparency in operations, inadequate competition and post-auction difficulties, he added.
