Hon’ble Minister of State (Steel) Sri Vishnu Deo Sai inaugurated the workshop on “Unlocking value through e-Commerce & Supporting Agri-Horti sector through e-RaKAM” organised by MSTC Ltd. in collaboration with NERAMAC.

Speaking at the workshop, Hon’ble Minister stated that the North-East Region is endowed with climatic condition that favors growth of niche variety of fruits, vegetables, timber, spices and other produce but the growers do not have any direct market access for their produces to mainland of India and are compelled to be exploited by middle men leading to a very pitiable situation for them.  The pitiable condition of farmers is also aggravated due to the lack of proper logistic supports in the region.   

Hon’ble Minister appreciated the efforts taken by MSTC’s that are in sync with the “Look East” and “Act East” policies of the Government of India. Hon’ble Minister also stated that MSTC has taken many steps with a view to benefit the farmers which will subsequently benefit the entire North East Region. MSTC, NERAMAC, CRWC and other stakeholders including NABARD, FPOs, etc. are working together for overall development of the Agri-horti Eco- System in the North-East Region.

The Hon’ble Minister further stated that the above ecosystem will not only improve the financial status of the growers but also prevent the crops from colossal wastage and make niche products available to the rest of the country and abroad.  This collaborative effort may play an important role as envisaged in the Government Policy for the development of the North-East Region.

In order to provide  direct market access to the growers of the North-East region and also for effective co-ordination and required services amongst the above agencies, MSTC and CRWC has recently launched e-RAKAM portal (e-Rashtriya Kisan Agri Mandi), which will be a nodal point to cater to the needs of  all the sister states of the  North-East. 

 E-RAKAM portal is an excellent initiative that connects farmers from small villages to the biggest markets of the world through Internet & appropriate logistics.

The Hon’ble Minister hailed MSTC’s effort for supporting Government initiatives promoting the digital drive & transparency in economy through e-commerce and advised that MSTC can extend its e-commerce services comprising of auction, procurement, e-sale and exclusive portals for handicrafts and other niche products for the entire state of Manipur.