CSC launches online marketplace for agri-services

Aimed at empowering small and marginal farmers, who constitute 86 per cent of India’s farming community, the Common Services Centres (CSC) has unveiled a unique Agri Services Portal that will act as a one-stop destination and marketplace for them.

The portal will enable small and marginal farmers, who do not have easy access to the digital world, to avail essential agri services with ease and at an affordable cost.

“Our newly launched portal can be accessed by farmers with support from local CSCs for buying agri-input products, renting and hire of agriculture implements and machinery, soil testing, sale of farm produce, tele-consultations, loan and insurance facility,” said CSC CEO Sanjay Rakesh.

The CSC, a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, plans to reach out to 6,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), one in each block of the country, this year.

“We have already onboarded 1,000 FPOs on this new platform. These FPOs will enrol about 1 crore farmers for availing various services on the portal,” said Rakesh.

Through the Agri Services Portal, farmers will be able to buy seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, cattle feed and other agri input products. With the help of Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) who run the CSCs and FPOs, farmers can connect with buyers for selling their produce through Kisan e-Mart, the rural marketing arm of the CSC.

CSC currently operates around 3.74 lakh CSCs, 80 per cent of which are functional in rural and semi-urban areas, said a statement from CSC.