E-mandis yielding good results for farmers

New Delhi: Expansion of digital space has benefitted industries across the segment, and latest beneficiary being agriculture trade with retailers and wholesalers switching to online mode to procure and sell their produce, thereby cutting down on the need to enter into a physical space to conduct the business.

Bizz Buzz spoke with agri trading companies, from logistics provider to FMCG solutions, to know the growth of virtual market space and increased adoption of digital space by farmers, middlemen and retailors in lieu for trading. Sunoor Kaul, co-founder of Origo Commodities India, says that bringing in a holistic solution for traders and farmers has become the need of the hour, reason being pandemic induced restrictions and uncertainty that the pandemic may bring in. "We provide a verified e-mandi platform wherein buyers and sellers can connect via our website, put in the required number of grains and edible oils, without having the need to meet in person. Even for transportation of the items, transporters can partake on the auction," Sunoor explains.

He further explained that during the course of 19 months, the company has increased its back-end team on software building, contracts execution, warehousing solution, along with hiring personnel to verify the quality of the agriculture product deemed for purchase.

"The biggest thing that happened during Covid time was that people couldn't travel to the site to verify the quality (of paddy, grains). Before Covid, people would drive up to the site, check the quality, load up the trucks and come back to their plants. Now, that is not happening. Now, the culture has shifted. Nobody wants to go to the site. They want someone else to go on their behalf to check and guarantee on the quality," he said.

Manu Singh, a Karnal-based farmer, says that although the concept of e-mandi is appealing, not all kinds of produce are receiving the same virtual support and popularity amongst virtual procurement companies. He explained that perishable items such as tomatoes are lesser popular amongst e-procurement companies due to the nature of the item and lack of appropriate storage facility for the same.

"Crops such as maize and wheat are popular in Haryana, but there some farmers like us who grow tomatoes. I am yet to come across an e-commerce company which would support perishable vegetables at an affordable cost. Most e-mandis support grains or vegetables such as potatoes which have a longer shelf life," Singh said.

e-Mandi, a digital trading company in FMCG segment, told Bizz Buzz said that although the firm is not engaged with farmers directly, procurement of vegetables and FMCG goods online has boomed in the last six months. As the company networks with wholesalers, distributors, traders online, hyperlocal retailers (kirana shops), across the tier-1 cities of India, are preferring to orders stock for their shop through online space.

We provide a verified e-mandi platform wherein buyers and sellers can connect via our website, put in the required number of grains and edible oils, without having the need to meet in person. Even for transportation of the items, transporters can partake on the auction

-Sunoor Kaul, co-founder of Origo Commodities India