Gram Unnati ties up with CSC to create a village-level digital marketplace for farmers

Project rolled out in 60 villages of Bulandshahr with plans to scale up pan India in 24 to 36 months.

In a bid to boost market linkages to Indian farmers, Gram Unnati, India’s first integrated agri solutions company has tied up with Common Services Centre (CSC) E-Governance Services India Limited, to establish a digital platform that empowers smallholder farmers to market their produce efficiently. CSCs are internet enabled access points, which provide last mile access to various e-governance services through digital connectivity.

The pilot project has been initiated in 60 villages of Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh. Farmers residing in these villages can notify the nearest CSC VLE (Village Level Entrepreneur) about the quality and quantity of their agricultural produce. Gram Unnati will then engage with the farmer, inspect produce quality, offer fair selling prices, and take possession of the goods. Payments to the farmers will be processed instantly and in full directly into their bank accounts. Based on the learning of this pilot, in the next 6-12 months, this initiative will be rolled out across the district and in 24 to 36 months across the country.

Commenting on the association, Aneesh Jain, CEO and Founder, Gram Unnati, said, “This initiative by Gram Unnati promises several benefits for farmers, including a 15 per cent to 20 per cent increase in net price realisation due to savings on transportation and trader commissions, fair weighment of produce, transparent payment processing directly into farmers’ accounts within an agreed timeframe, along with advisory support on crop planning and management to enhance quality, productivity, and in turn better price realisation. Gram Unnati’s deep penetration and knowledge and the digital platform offered by CSC will be a game changer for farmers in getting a higher yield for their produce through a right market linkage program.”

Kuldeep Meena, Chief Development Officer of Bulandshahr District, Uttar Pradesh, expressed his enthusiasm about the initiative and said, “The farmers stand to gain extensively through this joint initiative by CSC & Gram Unnati as market linkage is the need of the hour. This initiative will facilitate and accelerate this process, catering to farmers’ needs through last-mile delivery. Not only will farmers get easy access to markets at the village level, but they will also receive fair prices for their produce.”

The primary objective of this initiative is to provide vegetable farmers access to markets at the village level, ensure prompt and full payments directly into farmers’ bank accounts, and offer timely advisory services in case of pest or disease issues.

Project rolled out in 60 villages of