Health
Agribazaar waives off registration fee for farmers during COVID-19 to encourage digital agri-transactions amid physical distancing
- The initiative is part of the company’sefforts to increase farmer registrations on the app to ensure that buyers and sellers can transact from the safety of their homes.
- Agribazaar aims to smoothen the logistics bottlenecks by reaching out to farmers through its app; the ground team provides logistics support for the farm produce pick-up.
- At present, Agribazaar connects around 10,000 traders and processors, over 100 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO) with its network of over 2lakh farmers across 36 states and UT
Agribazaar, India’s premier online agri-trading company, recently announced waiverofregistration charges for farmers on its platform during the COVID-19 lockdown period. This limited period offer is to ensure that no farm produce gets wasted and to minimise agri-supply chain disruptions. By connecting farmers with buyers while maintaining physical distancing and trade from the safety of their homes. Since inception in 2016, the app has done INR 14,000 crores of GMV.
The offer has received an enthusiastic response from the farmer community. Small farm-owners, who were unable to sell their produce due to lockdown restrictions, nearby mandi closures and logistics challenges, have benefitted the most. The www.agribazaar.com app has got 400% more registrations both through downloads and tele-registrations on its toll-free all India number+ 91 9090397777.
During April 2020, www.agribazaar.com app successfully facilitated the transport of agri-produce of like fruits, vegetables, pulses, oilseeds and grains to over 8,000 trucks even to far-off places like Ladakh, Sikkim and Lakshadweep. From grape farmers in Baramati to apple growers in Kashmir to cultivators in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab & Haryana and others, the response during this lockdown has been encouraging.
Commenting on this move, Amith Agarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, Agribazaar, said, “Indian agriculture faced one of its biggest challenges due to COVID-19; however, with the government and local administration’s efforts, the digital journey of Indian farmer has brought relief during such hard times.
By enabling farmers to register on our platform without a fee during COVID-19, we aim to help them to sell their products amid the current restrictions while upholding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to maintain ‘DoGajKi Doori.The pandemic has created greater urgency for small Indian farm-owners to shift to digital platforms like the www.agribazaar.com just not for better deals but overall safety and health.”
The company is in talks with various state governments, agri-associations and FPO’s to onboard their members and more farmers to trade in the www.agribazaar.com platform. It ensures that the seller (farmer) and the buyer are connectedly directly online, saving on time and cost. On completion ofa deal, Agribazaar’s ground staff ensure logistics support to farmers. On delivery of goods, the farmer gets paid in a time-bound manner through the company’s Agripay platform.
The www.agribazaar.com app is available for download both in IOS and App stores and can be operated in both smart and feature phone. Farmers can dial the all India toll free number + 91 9090397777 and a company executive guide them to register on the platform and upload information to initiate trading.