Context: Recently, the Union Agricultural Minister has launched new features of e-NAM Platform. The new features will reduce farmers’ need to come to wholesale mandis for selling their harvested produce and decongest mandis amidst COVID-19.

• It will help strengthen agriculture marketing by farmers which will reduce their need to come to wholesale mandis for selling their harvested produce, at a time when there is critical need to decongest mandis to effectively fight against COVID-19.

Launch of Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (e-NWRs) module in National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) software

• To enable small & marginal famers to directly trade their stored produce from selected WDRA registered warehouses which are declared deemed market by the State.
• Farmers will be able to place their produce in WDRA accredited warehouses.

Benefits of e-NWRs integration with e-NAM

• Depositor can save the Logistics expenses and decongest Mandis.
• Farmers will be able to place their produce in WDRA accredited warehouses avail the benefit of pledge loan if required.
• Price stabilization by matching supply and demand through time and place utility.

Launch of FPO trading module

• Facility provided to Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) to upload assaying report / photo of their produce from their premise to enable traders to visualise the produce before bidding.

Launch of Logistic Module

• It is enhanced version of logistic module to facilitate inter-mandi and inter-state trade.

Need for e-NAM

1. Fragmentation of state into multiple market areas.
2. Poor quality of infrastructure and low use of technology.
3. In the traditional mandi system, farmers generally procured very less price for their crops as they had to pass through various intermediaries at the physical marketplace. This not only adds costs but also handling costs.
4. In addition, the farmer has to face obstacles in form of multiple tax levies and licenses and weak logistics and infrastructure in India.

About National Agricultural Market (NAM)

• It is an initiative of Ministry of Agriculture was launched in 2016.
• It is a pan-India electronic trade portal to facilitate farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in agricultural commodities.
• It networks the existing APMC mandis all over India in order to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
• The market facilitates farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities.
• It is helping in better price discovery and provides facilities for smooth marketing of their produce.
• Over 90 commodities including staple food grains, vegetables and fruits are currently listed in its list of commodities available for trade.

Implementation Agency

• Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is the lead agency for implementing e-NAM under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.

Vision of National Agricultural Market (NAM)

• To promote uniformity in agriculture marketing by streamlining of procedures across the integrated markets.
• Removing information asymmetry between buyers and sellers.
• Promoting real time price discovery based on actual demand and supply