Kolkata, June 20 (IANS) Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Monday said the central government will link 585 'mandis' across states to the electronic trading platform, the National Agriculture Market, by 2017 provided the states acted fast in sending their proposals.
"We aim to link 585 mandis to the electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) by March 2018. But if states which are amending their agricultural marketing act can speed up in sending their proposals, we will link all 585 mandis by end of the year 2017," he said.
"Seventeen states have amended their agriculture marketing acts. About 12 states sent proposals to us to link 365 mandis to the e- NAM. We have sanctioned them.
"We will link 200 mandis with e-NAM by next September and another 200 by March 2017," said Singh.
The minister said 21 mandis from eight states have been linked to e-NAM with 40,000 farmers having been joined in the platform.
He also said the central government is taking all steps to double the farmers' income in the next five years.
He said states including West Bengal need to amend APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) Acts, which require provisions to allow e-marketing, single point levy of market fees and single unified licence for trading across states.
"We have requested Bengal government to amend its APMC Act and send proposals to link mandis to e-NAM. They will do," said Singh who on the day reviewed Bengal's status of agriculture and its allied sectors.
