The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Commerce and Industry, and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal, has declared agriculture as the cornerstone for India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation, ‘Viksit Bharat’, by 2047. During the launch of the ‘e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi’ initiative by the Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA) in New Delhi, Goyal emphasized the role of technology in improving warehousing logistics for farmers, ensuring they receive fair compensation for their produce.
The ‘e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi’ aims to alleviate the financial burden on farmers by reducing security deposit charges at WDRA registered warehouses from 3% to 1%. This initiative is expected to attract more farmers, particularly smallholders, to use warehouse facilities and thereby increase their incomes. Highlighting the importance of this digital gateway, Goyal mentioned that it would help prevent distress sales by offering farmers better post-harvest storage options and allowing them to sell their harvest at more favorable prices.
Goyal also stressed the need for the mandatory registration of warehouses used by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the development of a roadmap for state warehouses to upgrade their infrastructure. The ‘e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi’ platform simplifies the digital process for farmers to store their produce at any registered WDRA warehouse for six months at an interest rate of 7% per annum. The Minister praised the significant yearly increase in warehouse registrations on the WDRA online platform and set a goal of registering 1 lakh warehouses.
The initiative is part of a broader strategy to empower farmers through technology, including the e-NAM platform, which provides an interconnected market benefiting farmers beyond the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement. Goyal highlighted the government’s increased procurement through MSPs, which has risen 2.5 times over the last decade.
Furthermore, Goyal announced the launch of the world’s largest cooperative food grain storage scheme, urging WDRA to offer free registration for all cooperative sector godowns. This move aims to encourage more farmers to utilize WDRA facilities, ensuring they receive a fair price for their produce and contributing to the overall welfare of the agricultural sector.
The ‘e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi’ and related initiatives underscore the government’s commitment to transforming the agricultural sector as a pivotal force in realizing India’s development goals by 2047.
