Govt to upgrade e-NAM platform to promote inter-state trade: Chouhan in RS

The Centre will upgrade e-NAM platform to facilitate onboarding of logistic service providers in a move to address logistic hurdles faced in inter-state and inter-mandi trade, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in Parliament on Friday.

 

Inter-state trade of 23,121 tonnes worth Rs 65.48 crore has been recorded on e-NAM platform till December 2024, he said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. He said a farm-gate module has been developed in e-NaM under which farmers don't need to bring the physical produce to the mandis to sell through the platform and can fix a price by just clicking a picture of the commodity offered by him. 

 

Chouhan said agricultural marketing is a state subject and agricultural produce market committees (APMCs) are regulated by the respective State Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act.

 

For online inter-state trade, enabling provisions to recognise the trading licences of other states is required. Eight states -- Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura -- have incorporated enabling provisions in their APMC Acts/rules, he said. Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh do not prohibit inter-state trade.

 

"Considering the fact that logistics remains a major hurdle for promotion of inter-state and inter-mandi trade under e-NAM, the government has taken a decision to upgrade the e-NAM platform as e-NAM 2.0," the minister said.

 

The e-NAM platform will be made more efficient, user-friendly, inclusive, scalable and open-network compliant. The main features of e-NAM 2.0 would be bank account validation, eKYC features using Aadhaar, and onboarding of assaying, logistics and other value-added service providers.

 

"This initiative will resolve the logistic challenge and will lead to faster trade, reduced wastage and better farmer incomes," Chouhan said.

 

"As of December 31, 2024, trade of 1.44 lakh metric tonnes (grains) and 3.4 crore bamboos, betel leaves, coconut lemons etc have been recorded, worth Rs 239.6 crore," he said.

 

Responding to another question, the minister said so far about 1,410 mandis have been linked to the e-NAM platform. He said this is a demand-based scheme and inter-state trade also takes place through this platform after states allow so.

 

Chouhan said as of December 31, 2024, a total of 640 mandis in 20 states and Union Territories participated in inter-state mandi trade and a total of 16.59 lakh metric tonnes of trade worth Rs 5,022 crore was done.

 

He said till now e-payment of Rs 6,831 crore has been made to 948 mandis in 22 states and Union Territories.

 

On a question related to the collusion of middlemen, Chouhan said agriculture is a state subject and the mandis are run by the state and many times such incidents come to the fore.

 

Asked when the government will give legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers on their produce as per the recommendation of the MS Swaminathan Commission, Chouhan did not give a direct answer.

 

He said it is the Narendra Modi-led government that fixed MSP by adding at least 50 per cent profit on the cost of production.

 

Launched in 2016, e-NAM is a pan-Indian electronic trading portal that networks existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.

 

To encourage small and marginal farmers to participate on eNAM for better realisation of prices, the minister said a facility of online registration through e-NAM portal and through mobile app (available on Android and iOS platform) is provided.

 

Training programmes are conducted in APMCs and toll-free numbers (18002700224) to assist farmers in registration and trading process.

 

As agro produce of small and marginal farmers may be less on individual basis, collectivising them as FPO provides economies of scale.

 

FPOs aggregate produce of member farmers and can access e-NAM through the FPO trading module.  (With inputs from PTI)