The Problem
The initially issued lockdown notice provided no exemptions for farm employees, producers, and food procurement firms. Later, the government was preparing to take to assist farmers ahead of the harvest season. Given the assurances, however, things on the ground are moving slowly in the absence of fleet and truck operators, limited interstate and intrastate movement of agricultural machinery and other inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds, and numerous barriers to fresh produce procurement.
In India, more than 70 per cent of rural India are working, running their daily expenses with income generated through agriculture. Our country's farmers are not getting the expected returns for their produce. The involvement of intermediaries in the local mandi and the high price of physical transactions leaves fewer profits for the farmers.
The pandemic has led to many sabzi mandis shutting down across the world or raising fears among vegetable sellers that they would help spread the virus.
It's here that agritech startups get into the picture.
The Solution: What Are AgriTech Platforms?
AgriTech platforms are a market place for agriculture that brings together producers, sellers, market representatives, consultants, food processing units, and institutions on a shared forum. They work to provide a high-quality forum for the promotion and marketing of industries and services dependent on agriculture.
On an AgriTech platform, the money is transferred directly to the respective farmers' accounts, enabling them to benefit from a stable payment process.
Indian farmers who move online, earn more than 15 per cent for their goods. Apart from higher earnings, the absence of the broker and commissioning agent is allowing farmers to get instant cash for their products. Private e-mandis are helping farmers sell their produce in the middle of the lockdown. These platforms play a critical role in ensuring that the farmers earn fair remuneration for their efforts.
Here’s How To Sell Crops On AgriTech Platforms
A) Pick any agritech website from the list given below.
B) Click on the “selling” option from the home page and then click on “create trade”.
C) Here, a new page will come up named "create your negotiable trade".
D) In the page, you will have two options where you can either choose to sell the product or to buy the product. Choose “I want to sell” if you wish to sell the products.
E) Here, you will have to fill the details like “commodity”, “quantity”, “price”, “location”, “start date”, “end date”, “quality standards, payment terms, and other information”.
F) In the same page, you have to upload two documents, which are: 1) Quality Certificate, and 2) Commodity Images.
G) After filling the details & uploading the form, click on a box to agree with the terms & conditions of the website.
H) Then click the submit option.
I) After submitting the documents and other details will be verified, and your product will be listed on the agritech website.
J) After the purchase of a commodity, the payment will be made directly in the bank account of farmers and goods will be picked up by the purchasing person directly from the farmers.
Farmers can even check how others have listed the price of their goods and can fix their prices accordingly.
Some Famous AgriTech Platforms For Farmers
Here is a list of some of the best AgriTech platforms where farmers can buy/sell their products. Click the links below to visit the website directly or to download the apps:
App Links:
Conclusion
At a time when COVID-19 is disrupting the entire world, electronic mandis can be a great way to purchase and sell transactions between farmers and customers—also maintaining compliance with social distancing standards in the post-COVID-19 world. It can also be an effective solution for the various problems of farmers and bring clarity and quality to the marketplace as a whole. Since these developments in the farming domain, agritech can be a newfound opportunity to bring back glory to Indian farmers and help them increase their contribution to GDP for India.
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