E-CHOUPAL: IMPORTANCE FOR RURAL INDIA (original) (raw)
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Journal of Agriculture and Crops
The existing agricultural market system borne operational inefficiency and is challenged with several problems which marginal and small farmers face. Due to a lack of infrastructure, storage capacity, connectivity, and alternatives to sell produce at a fair price, the government of India tried to connect farmers across the country through an electronic platform i.e. E-NAM in 2016. Prior to the government intervention in the electronic-platform domain, several Private initiatives have been taken through a business model such as ITCe-choupal, Ninjacart, and a few others. The electronic trading platform is an attempt to transform the market system. Rural producers need to connect with consumers and traders. The paper is based on two research questions: a) what is the state of e-marketing in India and Odisha and grey area if any?; b) What are the challenges and prospects of e-marketing in agriculture faced by marginal and small farmers? The paper has adopted a descriptive approach by re...
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014
Spiraling food prices and low productivity in Indian Agriculture has made food security a cause of great concern, more so in rural India (FAO, 2011; ADB, 2011; Kaur 2013; IFAD, 2011). Despite India's good economic performance, it is home to the largest number of hungry people in the world. In the ranking of the Global Hunger Index (2013), India ranks 63 rd out of 88 countries. In Madhya Pradesh alone (a state in India) more people suffer from hunger than in Ethiopia or Sudan. Needless to say, steps need to be taken at war-footing to improve agricultural productivity. With fiscal deficits already high, public investments in agriculture are not expected to pick up. In this context, private initiatives in Indian agriculture that promote productivity and embed sustainability in their business model remain important.
Agricultural marketing reforms and e-national agricultural market (e-NAM) in India: a review
Agricultural Economics Research Review
Efficient markets offer efficient price discovery and level playing field for all the actors. This paper systematically reviews developments in Indian agricultural marketing and emphasizes on addressing the challenges in implementation of e-NAM to achieve the goal of doubling farmer's income; hence the challenge of poverty reduction as envisaged in SDGs. The study captures various challenges in the implementation of e-NAM in terms of 3 I's (Infrastructure, Institution and Information) and advocates for strengthening the back-end of the supply chain with public-private interventions; amendment in state APMC Acts to accommodate for e-tendering operations and wide publicity of benefits of e-NAM among farmers.
Leveraging ICT for Agricultural Development: A case study of e-Choupals of ITC
In the emerging environment of reduced role of the state in agricultural marketing and input supply and the increasing space being provided to the private sector, it becomes imperative to explore the role of the corporate agribusinesses and information technology in building better linkages with farmers. There have been a few experiments in this regard in India in the recent past. This article examines one such case of e-choupals of ITC Ltd. in order to examine the role of information technology in agricultural development. After detailing the design and structure of the project, it goes on to examine its performance. It is found that the project has been able to re-intermediate the local agents instead of disintermediating them, which would have been more difficult. The project has benefited both, the farmers and the company, in reducing transactions costs and realising better net returns from their operations as it could reduce information asymmetries.
Developing a Rural Market e-hub The case study of e-Choupal experience of ITC
ICT has potential to make significant inroads in a traditional agrarian economy like India. Indian agro-sector has been exploiting the benefits to ICT. Innovative ICT application platforms are being created by private sector players in conjunction with local farmers. One such private initiative has been by ITC Ltd in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It has helped the farmers in many ways, such as developing of local leadership, shared ownership of the assets created in this initiative, access to the latest knowledge for the agro-sector, sustainable income levels and skill development for productivity improvement. This initiative from ITC[1] has become a benchmark today in the ICT initiatives in agro-sector. Several best practices can be learned from this initiative, namely:
Towards One Agricultural Market in India: Does the ICT Help?
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The current phase of economic reforms in agriculture is oriented to help farmers reach out to a larger all India market in order to fetch the best prices and earn higher incomes. The government has already been relaxing regulations to clean the market of imperfections and improve its efficiency, but moving towards ‘one’ Indian market has become a more targeted objective of reforms. The paper reviews the fast-changing scenario of institutional reforms and application of ICT as a facilitator of reforms. Empirical analysis with data on pulses reveals a convergence of prices in states towards a national-level price enabled by information flow from major markets but cannot confirm the role of trade in equalizing prices nor the benefit of higher prices reaching the producers. This transition period still shows signs of selective market integration and asymmetrical market responses mostly observed in consuming states.
E-Agriculture leads to rural development in India: A Review
society of business and management , 2021
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has developed an e-agriculture plan in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union to assist countries in using information and communication technologies to support rural development. Information and communication technologies (ICTs), which are mostly focused on agriculture, can assist enhance agricultural growth by enhancing farmers' access to essential information, allowing them to make the best decisions and manage their resources responsibly. In this era of climate change, when extreme weather occurrences are the norm, e-agriculture can provide services such as weather forecasts and disaster alerts that can assist farmers in making informed decisions. Agriculture has evolved into a knowledge-intensive industry, and having access to the appropriate information at the right time can make all the difference in a smallholder farmer's livelihood. Governments can supply rural communities with weather, market pricing, and insurance information that adds to their livelihoods with the correct kind of ICT services. Many of the challenges in the agricultural sector can be solved by having access to the correct information. Disaster planning and management, including measures like wise water management, watershed upkeep, and reliable meteorological information, can go a long way toward mitigating the effects of weather and climate change. Developed countries are already implementing a variety of agricultural technologies. Smallholder farmers in underdeveloped nations benefit from e-agriculture because it makes technology more accessible and affordable. Simple technology, such as soil health analysis, can assist a farmer in determining the sort of fertilizer to use in his land. Another excellent idea is to connect farmers with markets by providing market information and assisting them in receiving electronic payments.Initiatives like E-Choupal have proved the power of bringing communities together in India, A strategic approach to integrating the growth and reach of ICTs in other industries such as banking, insurance, and mobile technologies for agriculture is essential for identifying crucial services and solutions and ensuring their long-term viability.This research investigates the possible contribution of e-agriculture to the development of rural areas and the improvement of farmers' livelihoods.
Agriculture Marketing in India: Perspectives on Reforms and Doubling Farmers' Income
Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness Vol. 16(3) 2022, 2022
India's target of achieving a $5 trillion economy by the financial year 2025-26 needs to be supported by a transformed and reformed agriculture sector, which would significantly improve the income of farmers. It is, therefore, imperative that the agriculture sector should support the milestone by focusing on transformative reforms. The paper examines the critical challenges faced by Indian farmers in the existing agriculture marketing system, while proposing an agenda for agriculture marketing and export reforms for making farming financially sustainable. It underscores the urgency for the development of rural infrastructure and efficient agri-value chains. The paper highlights the need for encouraging small and marginal farm holders to move from subsistence farming to modern farm enterprises. The electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), is expected to lead to significant increase in income of farmers. Effective implementation of comprehensive agricultural reforms, with a focus on agriculture marketing reforms, could lead to sustainability of Indian agriculture, and facilitate the achievement of doubling farmers' income by 2024-25, while mitigating agrarian distress.
Agriculture Supply Chain Management : A Scenario In India
Abstract Agricultural commodities produced have to undergo a series of operations such as harvesting, threshing, winnowing, bagging, transportation, storage, processing and exchange before they reach the market, and as evident from several studies across the country, there are considerable losses in crop output at all these stages. A recent estimate by the Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies, Government of India, puts the total preventable post-harvest losses of food grains at 10 per cent of the total production or about 20 million Mt, which is equivalent to the total food grains produced in Australia annually. In a country where 20 per cent of the population is undernourished, post-harvest losses of 20 million Mt annually is a substantial avoidable waste. According to a World Bank study (1999), post-harvest losses of food grains in India are 7-10 per cent of the total production from farm to market level and 4-5 per cent at market and distribution levels. These losses would be enough to feed about 70-100 million people, i.e. about 1/3rd of India’s poor or the entire population of the states of the Bihar and Haryana together for about one year. Thus, it is evident that the post-harvest losses have impact at both the micro and macro levels of the economy. This article critically reviews the scenario of agriculture supply chain management in India by throwing a light on role of agriculture supply chain management, Agri food supply chain management, Agriculture marketing in India, market place for agriculture products, APMC, contract farming and private sector initiatives. Key words: Agriculture, Agriculture supply chain management, Agrifood Market.
Digital Farming: The Beacon of New Age Agriculture for Feeding Billons in India
Sustaining in remote areas of the world, struggling to nurture crops on tiny plots of poor land, farmer of India overuse macro fertilizers and miss the benefits they could gain from micro-fertilizers appropriate for their crops and soil. They also have no scientific understanding of pest life cycles, and thus often experience crop failure when a preventable infection or infestation arises. Now, new Agro-input companies have come up with the products—including fertilizer, seeds and pesticides—to help these farmers grow healthier, more abundant crops. However, these companies are failing to reach smallholder farmers with the products and product advice they need. With no access to meaningful market information, these companies struggle to develop aggregate demand forecasts required to drive costs out of the supply chain and maximize sales. Smart Farming is the new industry which is combining large data sources with advanced crop and environment models to provide actionable on-farm decisions. Digital/ Smart Farming is structurally similar to the concept of 'Industry 4.0'. Smart Farming in India, already is a reality in some areas: for example, GPS guidance systems is used for controlled traffic farming, site-specific fertilization or plant protection measures as part of a full production/input cycle using proprietary cloud-based connectivity. So, automated data processing and completely integrated, harmonized networks still present a not-so-distant future for agriculture and agricultural machinery. Dedicated efforts by all concerned stake holders are needed to realize this future vision. Besides the exchange of agricultural specific data concerning field and crop operations, there also is a requirement of standardizing more transaction related data exchange with other actors in the supply chain.