Recently, the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Commerce and Industry, and Textiles launched the ‘e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi’ (Digital Gateway) in New Delhi, marking a significant step in empowering farmers with digital solutions.

Overview of e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi Platform:

1. Digital Gateway: The e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi platform serves as a digital gateway of the Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA), aiming to simplify the storage process for farmers.
2. Post-Harvest Storage: With its simplified digital process, farmers can now store their produce at any registered WDRA warehouse for a period of 6 months at an attractive interest rate of 7% per annum, thus providing them with viable post-harvest storage options.
3. Mitigating Distress Sales: This digital intervention is set to reduce distress sales by providing accessible and affordable storage facilities to farmers, empowering them to make informed decisions about when and where to sell their produce.

Key Facts about Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA):

1. Establishment: The WDRA was established under the Warehousing (Development and Regulation) Act, 2007, and comprises 1 Chairperson and 2 full-time Members.
2. Mission: The primary mission of WDRA is to establish a negotiable warehouse receipt system in the country. This system aims to facilitate finance against warehouse receipts, thereby improving the quality of lending portfolios for banks and scientific warehousing practices.
3. Benefits: The introduction of negotiable warehouse receipts by WDRA enables farmers to seek loans from banks against National Warehouse Receipts (NWRs), thereby preventing distress sales of agricultural produce during peak marketing seasons and minimizing post-harvest storage losses.
4. Scope: WDRA covers 136 agricultural commodities, including cereals, pulses, oilseeds, spices, rubber, tobacco, coffee, etc., for issuing negotiable warehouse receipts. Additionally, it includes 24 horticultural commodities for cold storage and 9 non-agricultural commodities.

The e-Kisan Upaj Nidhi platform, combined with the efforts of the Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority, marks a significant step towards modernizing agricultural warehousing practices and empowering farmers with accessible and efficient storage solutions.

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