Tracking e-NAM Progress: Govt Overshoots Its Target Of Connecting 200 Mandis, Gets 250 On Board

On the completion of the first phase of Electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), Union Minister for Agriculture, Radha Mohan Singh launched the e-NAM Mobile App yesterday.

Kick-started in April this year, the scheme intended to connect 200 markets by September end but the NDA government has succeeded in getting 250 markets across 10 States on the platform. Additionally, Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for integrating 399 mandis have been received from 14 states and the government has approved all of them.

Agriculture Minister informed yesterday that so far agriculture produce worth Rs. 421 crore has been transacted on e-NAM platform.

The government has set a target to connect 585 markets by March 2018.

Cooperation of States is necessary for success of e-NAM platform. So far 17 States and one Union Territory (UT) have amended their APMC Acts, three States and one UT have APMC Act and they have consented to bring changes in the act which is under process.

Six States, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi have APMC Act but no change has been made as yet. Bihar, Kerala, Manipur, Andman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshwadeep Islands, Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu do not have any APMC Act. They have been requested to frame regulations to enable trading through e-NAM.

Agriculture Minister said that e-NAM will bring forth more profit to farmers, availability of trade at lesser cost to the buyers and development of permanent mandis. It will enable the farmers to have access to the National Market having wide choice.