Using e-NAM for Better prices: A farmer’s Guide!

The sun rising and setting in the vast fields is the idea that defines the life of a farmer for generations. Sowing, watering, harvesting, and the crucial step, selling. Traditionally, selling means going to local mandis, limited buyers, and fluctuating prices. But what if there is a way to break these limitations? What if farmers can reach buyers across India and get the price they deserve?

e-NAM stands for National Agricultural Market, which is a technological advancement in agriculture in India. It was launched in 2016 with the mission to connect all mandis in one place. This facilitated farmers and traders in selling and buying agricultural products online at a better price. But how exactly do you use e-NAM? Let’s check out.

Understanding e-NAM (Uttam Fasal Uttam Enaam)

Before getting into how to use e-NAM for a better price, let’s understand the philosophy behind e-NAM. It is an online trading platform that has integrated over 1000 local Mandis all over India. The platform solved many challenges in agricultural marketing:

• Individual Markets: Previously, each mandi acted as an independent unit, and farmers had to sell their crops to their nearby mandi at the asked price. E-NAM integrated these mandis and created a market of markets. Also, check today's rate in Nagpur Mandi.

• Lack of transparency: Price discovery was often opaque, and farmers were only aware of the prices in their nearby mandis. When e-NAM connected all the mandis, it became easier to get real-time information across integrated markets.

• Physical constraints: Traditionally, farmers had to go to nearby mandis to sell their commodities. They relied on local traders, which could lead to an uncompetitive price. e-NAM created a market where buyers from different states and regions could connect with the farmers. 

• Limited buyers: Limited buyers often mean that your hard-earned produce might get less than its worth. But imagine a door that opens to the buyers from all across the entire nation. e-NAM is that door; just register yourself and get the best price.   

How to Use e-NAM: Step by Step

Step 1: Registration: Get your digital identity

For farmers who want to register under e-NAM, they have to visit the local mandi. Mandis have a dedicated e-NAM kiosk where you can register yourself. For registration, just bring these essentials:

• Adhaar Card

• Bank account details

• Land records or cultivation

• Mobile Number 

Pro-tip: Double-check that your mobile number is linked to your Aadhaar card and bank account. 

Step 2: Bring your commodities to the Mandi

Once registered, the process is similar to traditional, just bring your produce to the e-NAM integrated mandi. Check out whether Itarsi Mandi is registered under e-NAM in the Shuru app. 

Step 3: Quality Check and Lot Creation

To ensure the produce is of good quality, experts will check the quality of the produce and assign a lot ID. This will create a digital resume of your product, which will be set to sell. Experts will weigh it, test its moisture content, size, and grade. The produce will be divided into unique lots with their ID. 

Why is this a game changer?

When a buyer from Chennai sees the perfect lot of wheat from Punjab with assured quality, properly weighted, he can bid with complete assurance. It eliminates uncertainty and exposes the quality to far-off markets.

Step 4: Online Bidding and Price Discovery

Imagine your market will instantly expand to buyers from all of India. The bids will come to you in real-time, and the price will be fully transparent. Using e-NAM, thousands of buyers actively compete for your produce. Prices naturally rise when more individuals are interested in the product, which helps the farmers to get better prices. 

Step 5: Accepting the bid 

Choose the bid that suits your needs and click on the ‘accept’. The best part is that the payment will transfer directly to your bank account, with no intermediaries or commission, ensuring a better price for you. Check out the mandi rates at Telangana Mandi.

After the sale, you are free! Using e-NAM saves you from paperwork, worrying about transportation, and money. All the money is sent in one instalment, your job is done, and income is secured.

Conclusion

It is very easy to use e-NAM, and it creates an online platform where you can sell your goods for a better price. Just keep in mind that high-quality produce gets a higher price. Familiarise yourself with online transactions, do not hesitate to seek help if you have any doubts, and you are set to sell your produce at a great price using e-NAM.