Krishi Rath App facilitates easy transportation of agricultural produce across India. Addressing the transportation issues faced by the farmers following the lockdown, an app was launched by India Government. Further, it aims to make the transaction easy for both the farmers and the traders.
Launch of the Krisha Rath App
Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar launched the Krishi Rath app on April 17th. Subsequently, with Rabi bumper harvest, he implemented this app to avoid wastage of agriculture produce during lockdown. This decision comes following the exemptions provided to the agricultural sector amid lockdown. Further, he highlights that currently, 5.7 lakh trucks are on the app, and more are yet to join.
Krishi Rath App: Necessity of the Hour
At this time of global pandemic and lockdown, farmers were under pressure. This app will prove to be very useful to tackle disruption in supply chain. Meanwhile, it aims to beneficial in the following ways:
- Farmers can easily hire trucks to transports the produce to mandis and traders. Accordingly, the app promises this transaction to be easy and smooth.
- Timely service is of utmost priority.
- Reduction of food wastage.
- Competitive and reasonable transportation cost for perishable commodities.
- The transporters will also have few benefits from the improved market while government benefits from the linkages.
Pointers on the Working of Krishi Rath App
Following the app download, farmers have to post the quantity and the produce they want to transport. Subsequently, the Krishi Rath app will list the truck’s availability and price. Also, the load is visible to both the cultivator and the transporter. Further, once the farmer chooses the carrier, he/she will receive the transporter’s complete details. Following that, they both can negotiate and finalize a deal. Additionally, the traders knowing the farm produce their respective area can identify the load posted by farmers. So, they can arrange the truck to pick up the goods from that area.
Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs)
These centres exclusively offer tractors to farmers for the transportation of agricultural goods. Accordingly, there are over 14,000 CHCs across India offering over 20,000 tractors for this purpose.
The Government Aids in Survival of Agricultural and Allied Sector During Lockdown
Besides the Krishi Rath App, the government has taken a few other measures to help them overcome the lockdown challenges:
- Agricultural exemptions to avoid supply chain disruptions.
- Supplying agricultural machinery under subsidy.
- Extension of validity of seed dealers license until lift of a lockdown.
- Extension of import permission till September 2020 (for agro goods)
- Also, the validity of all pack houses, processing units, and treatment facilities have extended.