Principal Secretary Horticulture and Agriculture departments Navin Kumar Chudhary today inaugurated the first of its kind e-NAM (National Agriculture Market) platform of J&K here at Fruit & Vegetable (F&V) Market Parimpora.
The online trading portal networks the existing Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
The Principal Secretary announced that all the functional F&V markets of the UT of J&K would be connected with this pan-India portal in the next one year in a phased manner.
On the occasion Director, Horticulture, Planning and Marketing, Imam Din was also present. In a detailed powerpoint presentation about the working of this portal the Director informed that the vision of this market is to create a unified national market for all the agricultural produce. He further elucidated that each Farm Producing organization (FPO) has to register on this portal for trading on e-NAM and avail the subsequent benefits.
It was also given in the presentation that the portal would help in discovering real time price on actual demand and supply position and thereby reduces the exploitation of producers at the hands of middlemen. Each buyer and seller would have access to nationwide market with prices commensurate to the quality of the produce. Moreover it brings transparency in auction process, ensures online transaction of price amount in sellers aadhar seeded accounts and streamlines producers across integrated markets throughout the country.
After the farmers come to e-market with their produce a unique lot ID number is given to his produce. The same is followed by assaying and grading of the produce and displaying the produce on the auction platform for physical verification and online display.
Bidding begins each day at 9:30 am and closes at 12:10 pm. The farmer is intimated about the process through short message service (sms). Thereafter electronic weighing and sale bill generation is also performed online. Price money is sent to the escrow account of e-NAM thereafter transferred to the seller after deduction of market fees.
The whole process is easy, transparent and free from all middlemen thereby ensuring maximum benefits to the farmers. The platform would be reproduced in each Mandi established in J&K in a phased manner as was announced by the concerned authorities.
Pertinent to mention here that horticulture produce to the tune of about Rs 1200-1300 crores is produced annually in J&K.
