AGMARKNET is an e-governance portal launched in 2000 by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection in India with the goal of connecting farmers to agricultural markets. It aims to link 7,000 wholesale markets across India to disseminate vital market information like prices and demand to farmers. Currently about 1,800 markets have been linked with the target of 2,500 by 2007. The portal provides a database of 300 commodities and 2,000 varieties with price and arrival information in 8 languages. It helps farmers make informed decisions by giving them access to local market conditions and prices.

1. AGMARKNET: An E-Governance Portal
Connecting the Farmers to Their Markets
The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI), part of the
Ministry of Agriculture and the Government of India, sanctioned the
Agricultural Marketing Information Network (AGMARKNET) project
to be implemented by National Informatics Centre (NIC). Launched
in March 2000, it aims to link all important agricultural produce
markets spread across the subcontinent with the State Agricultural
Marketing Boards and Directorates for effective informationexchange.
The dilemma of agricultural markets in India is that the producer or supplier is unaware of vital
market information, such as prices of various commodities or their demand. AGMARKNET is
the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection’s (DMI) effort to link the 7,000-odd agricultural
wholesale markets in India and to disseminate market information to the producers in these
markets.
About 1,800 markets have already been linked; the target is to take this number to 2,500 by the
end of 2007. The project envisages linking all 7,000 markets with each other and with state
agricultural marketing boards or directorates and DMI offices. Apart from market information
such as prices and commodity arrivals, the system also captures information about grades and
standards of agricultural products, commodity profiles, various agricultural schemes and
market profiles. A GIS-based market atlas is also under construction. A national database is
being created to prepare statistical and analytical reports and to implement a portal
(http://agmarknet. nic.in) to gradually serve as a single window facility for disseminating all
information pertaining to agricultural marketing. Though the sheer scale of the project was a
challenge in itself, the task became tougher owing to poor connectivity in rural areas.
The AGMARKNET portal now has a database of about 300 commodities and 2,000 varieties.
Information on prices and commodity arrivals is disseminated in eight regional languages and
in English. Future development involves linking all the agricultural wholesale markets in the
country and establishing strategic alliances with government and non-government organisations
to disseminate information to the farmers who operate in these markets.
| Objectives of AGMARKNET
· To establish a nation-wide information network for speedy collection
and dissemination of market information for its efficient utilisation.
· To computerize data on market fee, market charges, total arrivals,
arrivals by agencies, prices (variety wise/quality wise), storage,
dispatches with destination, mode of transportation, costs, sold and
unsold stocks, sources of supply with destination, method of sale,
payment, weighting, grading facilities, quantities graded, market
personnel (trained/untrained), market functionaries, market finance,
development programmes, infrastructure facilities,
constitution/composition of Market Committee, income and
expenditure and other activities of the APMCs, State Marketing Boards

2. and Directorates.
· To ensure flow of regular and reliable data to producers, traders and
consumers to derive maximum benefit of their sales and purchases.
· To increase the efficiency in marketing by effecting improvement in
the existing market information system.
Advantages
The advantages of AGMARKNET
database accrue to the farmers, as they
have choices to sell their produce in the
nearest market at remunerative prices.
In addition to this, the Country
witnesses:
. Nationwidemarket informationfor
wholesale produce
. Project supported by various
Departments and State Boards of
Agricultural Marketing
. Access mainly through the Internet
. Information dissemination
progressively through local
languages
. Computer facilities atthe markets
. Software for download - Daily market
prices
. Information collected by nodes in the
various markets
. Weekly trends
. Information on loans, policies and
regulations
. Bypass middlemen
. Data Dissemination through NGOs,
SHGs, KVKs, GISTNIC,
Cooperatives etc
. "Reachingthe Unreached i.e.
resource poor farmers",
. "reduction of distress sale",
. "righttoinformation",
. "baseforproductionplanning",
. "basefor marketingled agricultural
extension",
"increased competition",
. "reduced marketing margins",
. "vertical linkages in export crop
markets that connect multinational
traders to domestic traders"