Govt adds 10 additional commodities to e-NAM platform for trading

Several of these items, particularly chana sattu, water Chestnut flour, asafoetida and dried fenugreek leaves, fall under secondary trade category, which can help FPOs to market value added products

The Agriculture Ministry has allowed trading of 10 additional commodities on the electronic-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), taking the total number of tradable items on the platform to 231.

The newly added commodities include dried Tulsi leaves, Besant (Chickpea flour), wheat flour, chana sattu (Roasted Chickpea Flour), water Chestnut flour, asafoetida, dried fenugreek leaves, baby corn, dragon fruit and water Chestnut, the ministry said in a statement.

The decision follows extensive consultations with stakeholders, including state agencies, traders, subject matter specialists and the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC).

Several of these items, particularly chana sattu, water Chestnut flour, asafoetida and dried fenugreek leaves, fall under secondary trade category, which can help Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to market value-added products and formalize trade in the sector.

The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI) has formulated tradable parameters for these additional commodities to help farmers secure better prices by ensuring quality standards.

Launched in 2016, e-NAM is a pan-India electronic trading portal that networks existing Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.

The ministry said this expansion aims to increase agricultural commodity coverage and provide more opportunities for farmers and traders to benefit from the digital trading platform, while enhancing transparency and fair trading practices.

The move comes in response to continuous demand from farmers, traders and other stakeholders for inclusion of more agricultural commodities, it added.