Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, as many as 177 new mandis from 10 States and Union Territories, including 26 in Punjab and 17 in Haryana, were integrated with the e-NAM platform for marketing of agricultural produce on Monday, taking the total number of mandis integrated with it to 962. The mandis integrated include those in Gujarat (17), Haryana (26), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Kerala (5), Maharashtra (54), Odisha (15), Punjab (17), Rajasthan (25), Tamil Nadu (13) and West Bengal (1).
Launching the new mandis through video conferencing, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said efforts should be made to strengthen e-NAM further to benefit the farmers. Right now, farmers auction their agriculture produce at 6,900-odd APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees) mandis spread across the nation. Some agriculturists are also using online bidding through e-NAM platform.
Earlier, 785 mandis were integrated with eNAM across 17 States and 2 UTs, with a user base of 1.66 crore farmers, 1.30 lakh traders and 71,911 commission agents. According to the ministry, as many as 1.66 crore farmers, 1.30 lakh traders and 71,911 commission agents are using e-NAM platform.
Commodities, worth over Rs 1 lakh crore, have been traded on the e-NAM as on May 9 this year. The volumes of trade stood at 3.43 crore tonnes and 37.93 lakh bamboo and coconuts.
That apart, digital payments worth Rs 708 crore were made through the eNAM platform, benefitting more than 1.25 lakh farmers.
A total of 236 mandis participated in inter-mandi trade across 12 States, whereas 13 states/UTs have participated in the trade, allowing farmers to interact directly with distantly located traders.
At present, 150 commodities, including foodgrains, oilseeds, fibers, vegetables and fruits, are being traded on eNAM. More than 1,005 FPOs have been registered on eNAM platform and have traded 2,900 tonnes of agri-produce worth Rs 7.92 crores.