New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS): The Centre has decided to further expand the scope of trade under e-NAM (National Agricultural Market) with the addition of 10 more agricultural commodities to enable farmers to get higher prices for their produce.
"This initiative aims to increase the coverage of agricultural commodities and offer more opportunities for farmers and traders to benefit from the digital trading platform," the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare said in a statement issued on Thursday.
The new commodities that have been included in the e-NAM platform include dried tulsi leaves, besan (chickpea flour), wheat flour, chana sattu (roasted chickpea flour), and water chestnut flour in the miscellaneous category.
Besides, asafoetida and dried fenugreek leaves have been included from the spices category while water chestnut and baby corn are the vegetables among the additional commodities. Jackfruit also figures in the list of 10 goods.
The step has been taken in response to the continuous demand from farmers, traders and other stakeholders for the inclusion of more agricultural commodities, the statement said.
The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI) has formulated tradable parameters for the 10 additional agricultural commodities. These parameters are a result of extensive consultation with key stakeholders, including state agencies, traders, subject matter specialists and SFAC and with approval from the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the statement said.
DMI has been entrusted with the formulation of tradable parameters for agricultural commodities to be traded on the e-NAM platform. These tradable parameters are designed to help farmers secure better prices for their produce by ensuring the quality and commerciality of agricultural products. This initiative enhances transparency, facilitates fair trading practices, and contributes to the overall growth of the agricultural sector, the statement said.
DMI has formulated tradable parameters for 221 agricultural commodities, which are available on the e-NAM platform and following 10 additional commodities will take the list to 231 commodities.
Some of these commodities fall in the category of secondary trade, and this can help FPOs to market value-added products as well as formalise the trade in the sector.
These newly approved tradable parameters will be available on the e-NAM portal (enam.gov.in), further strengthening the platform's capacity to facilitate the digital trading of agricultural commodities. This move will provide farmers with improved market access, better pricing, and enhanced quality assurance, thus supporting their economic well-being. The formulation of these additional tradable parameters aligns with the government's ongoing efforts to modernise the agricultural sector, ensuring greater inclusivity, efficiency, and market transparency, the statement added.