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FUNCTIONING OF e-NAM PLATFORM

February 10, 2026 4 min read Economics Science & Technology GS3 (Agriculture Economics S&T)
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What Happened

  • The government reviewed the functioning of the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform, monitoring performance and penetration among farmers including small and marginal farmers.
  • As of 31 January 2026, 1.79 crore farmers are registered on e-NAM, with 1,522 mandis integrated across 23 states and 4 Union Territories.
  • Total agricultural produce traded on the platform has grown steadily: from 1.85 crore MT (2022-23) to 1.94 crore MT (2023-24) to 2.04 crore MT (2024-25).
  • Additionally, 32.27 crore units of non-weight commodities (bamboo, betel leaves, coconut) were traded on e-NAM during this three-year period.
  • Rajasthan (66.09 lakh MT), Haryana (44.94 lakh MT), and Madhya Pradesh (18.04 lakh MT) led trading volumes in 2024-25.

Static Topic Bridges

e-NAM — National Agriculture Market (Launched 2016)

e-NAM is a pan-India electronic trading portal launched on 14 April 2016 that networks existing Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) and other market yards to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities. It is managed by the Small Farmers' Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.

  • Launched: 14 April 2016; implemented by SFAC as Lead Agency with a Strategic Partner for the technology platform
  • States must implement three APMC Act reforms to join e-NAM: (a) permit electronic auction/trading, (b) issue a single trading licence valid across the state, and (c) apply a single-point levy of market fee
  • Features include online trading, quality assaying at mandis, real-time price discovery, and electronic payment to farmers
  • Farmers can locate nearby mandis within 100 km, view prevailing prices, and access route maps for informed selling decisions
  • A toll-free helpline (1800-270-0224) and multilingual mobile application provide access support
  • Over 4,250 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) are registered on the platform alongside traders and commission agents

Connection to this news: The latest review confirms that e-NAM's integration has grown from the initial 585 mandis (Phase I, 2016-17) to 1,522 mandis, with trade volumes crossing 2 crore MT annually, demonstrating steady expansion of digital agricultural market infrastructure.

APMC Framework and Agricultural Market Reforms

Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Acts are state-level legislation governing the sale and purchase of agricultural commodities through regulated market yards (mandis). The APMC system, originally designed to protect farmers from exploitative middlemen, has been criticised for creating fragmented markets, multiple layers of commission, and restricting farmers' choice of buyers.

  • APMC Acts are enacted under State List (Entry 28 — Markets and fairs) of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution
  • The Model APMC Act 2003 recommended by the Central Government sought to enable direct marketing, contract farming, and private markets alongside existing APMCs
  • The three controversial farm laws of 2020 (repealed December 2021) attempted to create a trade area outside APMC mandis; their repeal restored the APMC-centric system
  • e-NAM works within the APMC framework by digitising mandi operations rather than bypassing them
  • The National Commission on Farmers (Swaminathan Commission, 2004-06) recommended reforms to APMC Acts to improve price discovery and reduce market intermediaries

Connection to this news: e-NAM's growth to 1,522 mandis demonstrates an incremental reform approach — digitising existing APMC infrastructure rather than dismantling it — addressing some inefficiencies (price information asymmetry, delayed payments) while working within the constitutional framework of state-regulated markets.

Digital Agriculture and AgriTech Infrastructure

Digital agriculture encompasses the use of ICT tools for improving farm productivity, market linkages, and financial inclusion. India's digital agriculture ecosystem includes e-NAM for marketing, PM-KISAN for direct benefit transfers, Soil Health Card for soil analysis, and the Agristack initiative for building a farmer-centric digital infrastructure.

  • Agristack (India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture — IDEA) aims to create a federated farmers' database linking land records, crop information, and financial history
  • AGMARKNET (Agricultural Marketing Information Network) provides daily price information from mandis; e-NAM integrates with AGMARKNET for price transparency
  • The Committee on Doubling Farmers' Income (Ashok Dalwai Committee, 2017) recommended digital platforms for transparent price discovery
  • FPOs registered on e-NAM facilitate collective bargaining; the Central Government's target of 10,000 FPOs by 2027-28 (announced in Budget 2019-20) supports aggregation for small farmers

Connection to this news: The platform's facilitation of trade across 1,522 mandis with real-time pricing and e-payments exemplifies the broader digital agriculture push, though questions remain about last-mile adoption among small and marginal farmers who constitute 86.2% of India's agricultural households (Agriculture Census 2015-16).

Key Facts & Data

  • e-NAM launched: 14 April 2016
  • Mandis integrated (as of January 2026): 1,522 across 23 states and 4 UTs
  • Farmers registered: 1.79 crore; Traders: 2.62 lakh; FPOs: 4,250+
  • Trade volumes: 2.04 crore MT in 2024-25, up from 1.85 crore MT in 2022-23
  • Top trading states (2024-25): Rajasthan (66.09 lakh MT), Haryana (44.94 lakh MT), Madhya Pradesh (18.04 lakh MT)
  • Implementing agency: SFAC under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
  • APMC reforms required: e-auction, single licence, single-point market fee levy