Expansion of Agricultural Commodities under e-NAM

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has decided to expand the scope of trade under e-NAM (National Agricultural Market) by adding 10 additional agricultural commodities. With the addition of these 10 new commodities, the total number of tradable commodities on e-NAM increases from 221 to 231.

Key Highlights of the Initiative

• Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI) has formulated tradable parameters for 10 additional agricultural commodities after extensive consultation
• This initiative aims to broaden agricultural commodity coverage, providing greater opportunities for farmers and traders on the digital trading platform.
• Role of DMI in Agricultural Trade: DMI is responsible for setting tradable parameters to ensure the quality and commercial viability of commodities traded on e-NAM.
  • This initiative promotes fair trading practices, transparency, and better pricing mechanisms.

Newly Added Commodities on e-NAM

Miscellaneous Commodities:

1. Dried Tulsi Leaves
2. Besan (Chickpea Flour)
3. Wheat Flour
4. Chana Sattu (Roasted Chickpea Flour)
5. Water Chestnut Flour

Spices:

6. Asafoetida
7. Dried Fenugreek Leaves

Vegetables:

8. Water Chestnut
9. Baby Corn

Fruits:

10. Dragon Fruit

About e-NAM

• e-NAM is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing APMC Mandis creating a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
• Launch Year: 2016.
• Implementing Agency: Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium, under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
• It is not a parallel marketing platform but leverages the physical infrastructure of existing Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs)
  • APMCs: Governed by the State APMC Acts, enacted under the Agricultural Produce Market Regulation Act, 1963, which varies across states.
• States to make 3 reforms in their APMC Act to integrate their mandis with e-NAM
  1. Single trading license (Unified)
  2. Single point levy of market fee
  3. e-auction/ e-trading as a mode of price discovery.
• Advantages of e-NAM
  • Improves market access: By removing information asymmetry between buyers and sellers.
  • Real time price discovery: Based on actual demand and supply.
  • Transparency: Auction process based on quality of produce with timely online payment