A significant stride towards empowering agricultural communities, the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform has welcomed 5,630 farmers’ collectives across states, enabling them to sell a diverse range of agricultural produce. This initiative marks a pivotal shift towards digital empowerment and market access for small enterprises, presenting an alternative to global e-commerce giants like Amazon and Walmart.
Since the inception of the initiative in April 2023, over 8,000 farmers’ producer organisations (FPOs) have registered with the government, with more than 3,100 varieties of products currently being traded on the ONDC platform. This move aims to equip FPOs with direct access to digital marketing, online payment facilities, and business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions, facilitating their integration into the digital marketplace.
Over the next six months, all registered collectives will be onboarded onto the ONDC platform, providing them with a digital platform to showcase and sell their produce online. Notably, the platform has already yielded tangible results, with FPOs like Rich Returns, based in Baran, Rajasthan, generating significant revenue by selling chana, garlic papad, millet-based products, and papad to both consumers and institutional buyers.
The ONDC platform extends comprehensive support to FPOs, including free registration, assistance in developing digital catalogues, generating shipping labels, identifying delivery partners, and facilitating digital payments. With a network comprising over 30 digital applications such as Mystore, PayTM, Maginpin, and Delhivery, ONDC streamlines intercity logistics and fosters seamless transactions between buyers and sellers.
In a strategic collaboration with the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), a body under the Ministry of Agriculture, ONDC aims to address the challenges faced by FPOs in accessing markets nationwide. Furthermore, a recent partnership with tech giant Meta underscores ONDC’s commitment to upskilling small businesses, including FPOs, to leverage digital platforms effectively.
The digital network offered by ONDC not only facilitates online transactions but also encourages local value addition, thereby catalysing the growth of logistics in rural areas. Launched in April 2022 as a section 8 company established by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, ONDC represents a crucial step towards fostering digital inclusivity and economic empowerment in the agricultural sector.
With over 8,000 FPOs registered under the central sector scheme titled “Formation and Promotion of 10,000 FPOs,” officials emphasise the need for government support to enable FPOs to sell their products on platforms like the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), utilised for public procurement by central and state government agencies.
