Traders, commission agents of Pune Marketyard object to eNam

Bhujbal said a market dealing with perishable commodities is one among the two major issues in regards to implementation of eNAM would be the nature of the commodities itself. eNAM requires assaying of commodities before they are brought in for auction. “However in case of fruits and vegetables, this would be difficult. In our market the price is always dynamic and changes every few hours. How will the assaying lab keep up with the rush?” he said. Also, for perishable commodities qualities start deteriorating as soon as they are harvested. This would require frequent assaying to determine the quality of the produce.

Another major problem with the scheme he said was the method of payment envisioned by eNAM. “The end user is supposed to pay the market cess as well as other fees. The electronic market also does not recognise the role of commission agents,” he said.

Commission agents act as the representatives of farmers during auction. In lieu of a commission, they allow farmers to park their vehicles in their shops. Another important role, which they play, is to ensure farmers are paid within 24 hours of the auction and they realise their commission rate from the transaction. “eNAM expects the payment to happen electronically. However, our end consumers are often the semi literate retail vendors. How does the government expects them to do online transaction?” he said.

Rohan Ursal, the secretary of the commission agents’ association said they had highlighted their objections before relevant authorities. “We are not opposed to eNAM but this requires correction,” he said.