A+| A| A-
A Study on Functional Efficiency of Electronic National Agriculture Market in Selected Mandis of Odisha
Odisha is predominantly an agrarian economy. Around 50% of the state’s population fully or partially depends on agriculture and allied activities for their livelihood. Any reforms in the existing agricultural marketing system could benefit the people to a greater extent. The current study is undertaken to analyse the impact of the Electronic National Agriculture Market on market arrival and price of the commodities in the selected Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees, and on the incomes of the farmers. It also highlights the difficulties by farmers to market their agricultural produce. Findings of the study show that e-NAM is still at a nascent stage in the state. The government needs to focus on infrastructural development, providing training to farmers, and research and development activities for better functioning and benefits of e-NAM.
India is predominantly an agrarian economy. The primary sector accommodates 41.49% of the total workforce in India, followed by the service and industrial sector with 32.33% and 26.18% of the total workforce, respectively (Neill 2021). On the other hand, as many as 96.4 million hectares, which is 29.32% of the total land area, is on the verge of various forms of degradation (Kumar 2019). They might result in inexorable food insecurity, environmental degradation, migration and poverty in the long run. In this context, there is a greater need to focus on strengthening the primary sector as India is the second largest foodgrain producer in the world contributing to 25% of global production, standing next only to China (Bisen and Kumar 2018). India claims to be self-reliant in the production of foodgrains but the Oxfam Food Availability Index Report 2018 reveals a startling fact, that India stood at 97th rank out of 125 countries (Jana 2021). Nearly 40% of the foodgrains produced in India are wasted every year and this loss occurs even before the food reaches the consumer (Zacharias 2021).
In light of these concerns, serious questions arise on post-harvest handling, storing facility, functioning of foodgrain distribution system, especially the functioning of agricultural marketing in India. However, to strengthen agricultural marketing and to empower farmers and consumers, during the 1960s and 1970s, major reforms were introduced by the government. The traditional trader exploitive system has been replaced with the adoption of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act, 2003 (Kathayat 2019). These regulations endeavoured to ensure fair prices for farmers’ produce as well as accessibility of foodgrains to consumers at affordable prices. But the act could not meet the objectives successfully, and so various amendments have been made over time. Later, following the concept of One Nation–One Market, the Electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) system was introduced by the Government of India in 2016, in order to improve the efficiency of agricultural marketing.
Dear Reader,
Or
To gain instant access to this article (download).
(Readers in India)
(Readers outside India)
