The unified marketing platform helps farmers get a better remunerative price

More than 56,000 farmers in Mysuru district are availing the benefits of online trading in agricultural commodities facilitated by the online unified marketing platform established by the government by networking APMCs across the State.
The unified marketing platform has created a single virtual market by networking 103 of 156 APMCs in the State and widened the reach for farmers, who look for remunerative price for their produce.
While 1.6 million farmers across Karnataka have enrolled for online trading, the authorities have launched a drive to expand the network.
Srinivas Reddy, Assistant Director, Department of Agricultural Marketing, told The Hindu that the concept was a fallout of the Agricultural Marketing Reforms 2013, and leverages software and information technology to the fullest to make agricultural marketing a transparent affair.
The farmers get a better remunerative price, while the scourge of middlemen and brokers, who corner the bulk of the profits, is completely eliminated, said Mr. Reddy. All 156 APMCs in the State will be integrated in due course, and the registered traders, who can bid online, has surpassed 80,000 so far, he added.
“A direct benefit is that the market for the farmers produce has widened and a trader from Bidar can now make purchase online the produce in Mysuru and the amount is credited to the farmer’s account within 24 hours,” he said. As a result, between 2014 and 2016, the value of online transaction in agricultural commodities surpassed Rs. 19,106 crore in the State and these figures are set to increase manifold.
In Mysuru district, the Mysuru APMC yard and the Santhe Sargur APMC are networked under the unified platform and over 2,500 traders bid online in the district alone.
Before the introduction of the concept, the farmers used to bring their agricultural produce to the local APMC and were at the mercy of the limited number of merchants and traders. “But with online trading, farmers get the best quote as their produce is graded and the certificate authenticating the grade is posted online,” Mr. Reddy said.
The authorities are also fine-tuning logistics to provide for transportation complete with details of vehicles or agencies, besides loading and unloading charges.

Source : The Hindu