AGRICULTURAL MARKETING INFORMATION SYSTEM NETWORK: A GAP ANALYSIS FOR PADDY

Abstract

The AGMARKNET portal is an initiative taken by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Government of India, with the aim of collecting and disseminating marketing related information of agricultural commodities throughout the country. This information is highly crucial in nature as it can be used by various stakeholders, such as farmers, traders and policy makers among others, to make important decisions at individual as well as national level. It also aims to strengthen the economic position of farmers as well as consumers by providing them with marketing related information of agricultural commodities spanning over all the markets in the country. Such information will enable the farmers to obtain fair returns on their produce. For consumers, it means that they will be able to obtain agricultural produce at fair and affordable prices. To achieve these objectives, it is necessary that the information being recorded and disseminated by the AGMARKNET portal be of accurate and reliable nature. The fact that this information is also intended to be used for national level agricultural policy decisions, makes it even more crucial for the information to be highly accurate and complete in all aspects.