The e-NAM (National Agricultural Market) is an electronic trading platform introduced by the Government of India to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities. Launched in April 2016, e-NAM aims to facilitate transparent price discovery and provide efficient trading opportunities to farmers, buyers, and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
Here are some key features and objectives of e-NAM:
Integration of Markets: e-NAM integrates physical markets (mandis) across different states and enables online trading of agricultural produce. It aims to eliminate geographical restrictions and allow farmers to sell their produce beyond local markets.
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Online Trading: The platform provides an online marketplace where farmers can list their produce and traders, processors, and bulk buyers can bid for it. This helps in promoting competitive and transparent price discovery.
Transparent Price Information: e-NAM facilitates the dissemination of real-time price information for different commodities across various markets. This allows farmers to make informed decisions about selling their produce and prevents them from being exploited by middlemen.
Single License: With e-NAM, farmers can obtain a single unified trading license, known as the Unified Market License (UML). This license enables farmers to sell their produce in any e-NAM market across the country, reducing bureaucratic hurdles and promoting ease of doing business.
Electronic Payments: The platform promotes cashless transactions by facilitating online payments between buyers and sellers. This helps in reducing the dependence on cash transactions and provides a secure and transparent payment mechanism.
Quality Grading and Warehousing: e-NAM provides facilities for quality testing and grading of agricultural produce. It also integrates with the electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (e-NWR) system, enabling farmers to store their produce in accredited warehouses and use the electronic receipt for availing credit or selling their stored produce later.
The implementation and adoption of e-NAM have been gradually expanding across different states in India. It aims to enhance market efficiency, reduce intermediaries, provide better price realization for farmers, and create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
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