The Government of India has taken an initiative for the betterment of farmers all across the country. The Common Service Centres (CSC) under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, has partnered with farmers, agricultural enterprises, and other key stakeholders to launch Kisan e-Mart. The e-Mart is an online trading portal for farm produce and created to benefit the farmers of the country. CSC scheme is one of the mission mode projects under the Digital India Programme.
Kisan e-Mart is an online mandi, where farmers can sell their produce across the country and even outside the country. Registration and listing of prices are mandatory and farmers have the flexibility to choose their selling price. After registration and setting a price, negotiating a fair deal is made. A detailed list of advantages and process guidelines is available on the Kisan e-mart’s website in Hindi.
The perennial problem of farmers
Farmers in India have often complained of crops giving low yield thereby less output for their efforts and in the case of excess produce, price decreases and local mandi’s also refuse to buy the crop. In both the scenarios the return on investment for a farmer is low and is dependent on factors beyond his control. Kisan e-Mart platform has been launched as a solution to this problem. Farmers can sell their excess produce all over the country, at the convenience of their homes.
As tweeted by Union Minister for Information and Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad, a farmer in Bihar was unable to get a minimum support price of one rupee on one kilogram of “gobi.” The farmer had resolved to destroy his crop. The Minister educated the farmer about Kisan e-Mart. This particular farmer ended up selling his “gobi” at a rate of ten rupees per kilogram to a buyer in Delhi. The delivery cost was also borne by the buyer. It was a very convenient process for the farmer. In another tweet, CSC Tripura said, “Pineapple’s of #Tripura are going to #Dubai, sold through #CSC Kisaan e-mart.”
After gaining the relevant information, several farmers have stepped up to sell their crops at a much higher rate through CSC Kisan e Mart platforms. CSCs provide multiple public utility services including social welfare schemes, financial and banking services, health care services, and agriculture-related services. CSC’s have also been registering farmers for loans under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the third-largest crop insurance scheme in the world. It aims at protecting farmers against adversity and maintaining a capital flow within the sector.
Registration Process for Kisan e Mart
Agri10x has partnered with CSC where registration takes place online. Farmers can also choose to register offline via CSC centers. On the portal, you get the option to add farmer, farmer KYC, and add farmer stock. These three actions must be performed. You can also view VLE (Village Level Entrepreneurs), in order to expand your circle. This option would lead to better collaboration.
The Kisan e-mart is a strategic partnership between Agri10x and the Common Services Centre (CSC) scheme, which operates under the Digital India project of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY). As per the available information nearly 375,000 CSCs are functional at the panchayat-level across India. Farmers are allowed to register at the CSC and once their KYC is completed, they can sell produce online without the issue of having to transport it.
Advantages of Kisan e-Mart
– Removal of middlemen – The portal is a win-win situation for everyone. Farmer’s can sell their extra produce at a fair price and buyers have more variety to choose from. Abhikant Kumar, a litchi farmer from Muzaffarpur was able to sell ten quintals of Shahi Litchi to a buyer in London through Kisan e-Mart.
– The current pandemic has caused a major disruption in the supply chain, e-Mart helps bridge this gap online.
– Agriculture related tele consultations are also provided through the Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
Farmers all over the country must be made aware of the Kisan e-mart platform because of the difference in buying prices for their produce, through multiple platforms. This difference causes a huge impact on the farmer’s incomes and the return on their investments. This platform serves to function for the betterment of farmers and motivate them for adopting better agricultural practices to meet the global standards of food produce exports.
Most small-scale farmers in India are not familiar with technology, and for them to realize the full benefit of the CSC Kisan e Mart portal they need to be educated and trained. The usage of this portal might be limited due to a lack of awareness at this moment, but the government is constantly spreading information as well as conducting drives to teach farmers on how to use the platform. Regional farmers also speak different languages which may become a barrier to communication while using the portal. This is a very good initiative and must be promoted by all the stakeholders of Agri value chain for the benefit of the farmers of our country.
Also read on our portal, “Farm Labels – Framers have a brand of their own now”
