Vision

"CONTRACT FARMING & AGRI COMMODITY SAMPLE BASED MANDI TRANSACTIONS"

Vision Path

• Enlightened farmers to have access to the latest market information.
• Secured market: MOU to be executed between farmer and trader/processor before/at the time of sowing of crop.
• Establish value added centres in selected mandies for sorting, grading, packaging, storage and preservation (cold chain), processing and transportation.
• On-line Mandi: Computerise mandi operations enabling e-commerce based transparent & fast transactions as well as single window access to the information.
• Create terminal markets for "TRADE BETWEEN TRADERS" through e-commerce, export and specialised transportation facilities.

The basic function of Mandis is to bring the farmers and traders on a common platform in which the government, through the Mandi Board and Mandis, works as a facilitator to ensure that the farmers get the optimum price for their produce nearer to their own villages. The Mandi officials supervise the whole Mandi operations from the point of entrance to Mandis, auction of the produce, as per classification, by traders to decide on the rates, the weighing of the produce, to ensure that the less educated farmers are not cheated by the traders and they make prompt payments to the farmers as per the contract they make during the auction process and avoid unnecessary frictions between them. For providing these facilities the traders pay a percentage of their purchase value as Mandi fee, without paying which they are not permitted to take their purchase out of their warehouses in the Mandi area. Compliance of these laws necessitates efficient, transparent and diligent working of the Mandi office so as to facilitate prompt availability of information, reports, analysis to the users and seekers. Before the execution of EKVI these functions were done manually and the Mandis worked as an island.

Thus to empower the farmers with the latest information on the rates, arrivals etc. in the neighboring state / national Mandis, ensuring prompt calculations of arrivals and actual sales, various taxes payable by the traders on the actual purchase made by them, reconciliation of bank accounts, issuing and reconciliation of transit permits issued etc., it was felt essential to graduate from the present manually done process to ICT enabled process. This not only improved the effectiveness of trading in the Mandis but also brought transparency in the Mandi operations which is now being effectively monitored and controlled by Regional Offices and the Mandi Board HO and has benefited the farmers, traders and the government in collection, processing, analyzing and dissemination of information, policymaking and revenue collections.EKVI Project involves use of ICT for automation of Mandi Board Head Office, 7 Regional Offices, and 231 Mandis and their associated Sub-market yards and Nakas (Interstate barriers) across the State of Madhya Pradesh. Most of the Mandis and Sub Mandis are located in villages having 6 million Farmers with 70,000 licensed traders. Normal annual arrivals are in the order of 12.5 million tons valued at US$3.5 billion. The various data being generated at Mandis with regards to agricultural produce sale etc. are captured and transmitted on a communication network to associated Regional Office and Head Office via VSAT and are accessible at the specified inter-state barriers (Nakas) etc. for verification of documents on 24 x 7 basis.

Benefits of the Project

To the Farmers

• Availability of latest information on rates, arrivals etc. in various state mandis and also in the web site of the Mandi Board which is accessible through Internet from any Kiosk.
• Choice to decide when & where to sell.
• Choice to decide on the crops to be cultivated based on the future trading information available.
• Sell the produce at the door step trading through e-Mandis (when established) , resulting in reduction in losses due to transportation & handling.

To the Traders

• Transparent procedure
• Single window disposal
• Reconciliation of daily sales, accounts, transit permit
• Availability of rates in various mandis will help in offering better rates to farmers
• Reduction in Transportation losses.

To the Mandis

• Instant reconciliation of accounts, transit permits, receivables & payables.
• Effectively monitor its activities
• Facilitate implementing contract farming
• Ensure transparency in operations
• Ensure stoppage of leakages of Mandi fee revenue.

To the Government

• Speedy collection, analysis and dissemination of information to farmers and traders.
• Improved tax revenue collection by collating this data with commercial tax, income tax etc.
• Instantaneous access to even remote locations through VSAT connectivity.

Future Plans

• Integration with other modules/networks to spearhead a large e-governance mega tool.
• Multiple agriculture/rural services to farmers like Khasra copies, agro-input sourcing etc.
• Eventual e-agricultural marketing at doorsteps of the farmers through e-kiosks.
• E-Learning infrastructure in any and every discipline.
• Reliable communication network for emergency, disaster management.
• Provide adequate information regarding Future trading and Contract Farming.

System work flow of EKVI