Online sale of agri produce made easy as govt launches e-RaKAM portal

Govt plans to auction 20 lakh tonnes of pulses in the first phase through the platform

The government on Tuesday launched a portal, e-RaKAM, to provide a platform to sell agricultural produce.

The portal is a joint initiative by state-run-auctioneer MSTC and Central Warehousing Corporation arm CRWC.

Launching the portal with Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said the effort should be to auction 20 lakh tonnes of pulses in the first phase through the platform.

"I personally feel that we should start with auctioning of pulses as we have them in abundance. Twenty lakh tonnes of pulses were lying idle at warehouse and it still has no buyers. E-RaKAM will help us and farmers hugely," Paswan said.

He said initial hurdles will be there as most of the farmers are illiterate and are in bad condition, Paswan said, as per a joint statement issued by MSTC and CRWC. It added that now various crops whose price increases due to rainfall or bad weather conditions, will be managed and get the market.

He said even transport will face initial hurdles that will be sorted out over time.

Steel Minister Singh said, "Our aim is to strengthen the agriculture-oriented Indian economy and farmers, who play a vital role in national development. I congratulate all for the launch of e-RaKAM."

E-RaKAM is a first-of-its-kind initiative that leverages technology to connect farmers of the smallest villages to the biggest markets of the world through internet and e-RaKAM centres.

E-RaKAM is developed by MSTC Limited and supported by marketing & logistics partner CRWC Limited.

E-RaKAM is a digital initiative bringing together the farmers, FPOs, PSUs, civil supplies and buyers on a single platform to ease the selling and buying process of agricultural products.

Under this initiative, e-RaKAM centres are being developed in a phased manner throughout the country to facilitate farmers for online sale of their produce.

The statement said farmers would be paid through e-Payment directly into their bank accounts.