NEW DELHI: Union agriculture ministry has launched new features at National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) web platform to reduce farmers’ need to physically come to wholesale ‘mandis’ for selling their produce at a time when there is critical need to decongest agri markets to effectively fight coronavirus Though activities at agri markets come under exempted categories during the lockdown period, the new features at e-NAM platform will allow remote bidding and mobile-based payment for which traders or farmers do not need to either visit ‘mandis’ or banks for the same.“This will help social distancing and safety in the APMC markets to fight against COVID-19,” said agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar while launching new features of e-NAM on Thursday.The e-NAM, launched in April 2016, is a pan-India electronic trade portal linking Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) across the country. So far, 585 ‘mandis’ in 16 States and 2 Union territories have been integrated on e-NAM portal. The number of integrated mandis is expected to be 1,000 in next few months.The warehouse trading module of the new feature will enable famers to directly trade their stored produce from selected registered warehouses which are declared deemed market by certain States including Telangana (14 warehouses) and Andhra Pradesh (23 warehouses).Presently, e-NAM provides a database of individual transporters to the traders. Under newly launched features, the traders would now be able to use the link to navigate to the logistics providers’ website and select appropriate services to deliver farm produce at desired location.The ministry claimed that more than 3,75,000 trucks from large logistic providers would be added for logistic purpose.Though these moves are quite progressive, it would currently help only big farmers who have been using the e-NAM platform for intra-state and inter-state trade in few states for the last couple of years.Majority of small and marginal farmers will still have to depend on old ways which have, in the current situation of nationwide lockdown, become quite difficult for them despite being given certain exemptions for their movement.