eNAM-Mandi Integration Lifts Farmers’ Price Realisation
Why in the news
Research by Assistant Professor R Leshma Manogna (BITS Goa), sponsored by NABARD, found that linking APMC mandis to the National Agriculture Market helps farmers earn more and tests AI-based price forecasting.
Benefits of eNAM integration
- Live price visibility lets farmers bargain and avoid exploitation.
- 60-70% of middlemen cut out; buyers and sellers connect through smartphone alerts.
- Uniform quality procedures for commodities.
- Farmers can reject low bids using market data and MSP awareness.
Study snapshot
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | NABARD (draft report submitted) |
| Scope | Price realisation for 23 commodities, western coastal region |
| Survey | 40+ questions on farmers’ mandi-eNAM experience |
| Data | 15 years of wholesale prices; 70:30 training/testing |
| Models | Econometric versus ML, deep learning and RNN; RNN beat ANN on accuracy |
Concerns
- Farmers with good quality still often miss desired prices.
- Early rollout was slow, though much better over five years.
- Smartphone access and digital literacy decide success.
Significance
- Models now include climate change, soil quality and trade tariffs for climate-resilient productivity and sharper forecasts.
- Tech plus policy support can make agri-markets transparent and inclusive.
Exam angle
- eNAM links APMC mandis; sponsor of the study: NABARD.
- RNN outperforms ANN in price prediction.