Telangana plans AI-enabled transactions in agri. market yards

Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao holding a meeting with marketing officials in Hyderabad on Monday.

The Telangana government is planning to make the agricultural markets in the State AI (artificial intelligence)-enabled for the first time in the country and also make them model markets, Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao said.

At a meeting with the agricultural marketing and agriculture departments here on Monday, he said the AI technology would check for irregularities in transactions in market yards. Tenders for introduction of AI technology in the market yards’ transactions would be called within a week. He suggested them to bring into a single digital system all transactions related to farmers — from the farmer entering the market with his/her produce, its sale, payments and others till he/she leaves the market yard.

Listing of farmers’ details, allocation of identity number to every lot/crop, assessing crop quality, fixing price, digital bidding/tender details, online auction, farmer’s consent, weighing, sale bills, market charges, payments to farmers, recording of gate exit, e-receipts and e-permits issuance should be done on a single platform.

The management information system should also have details of commission agents, traders, price patterns, auction details and others so that they can be cross-checked in future too. The Minister told the officials to study the digital marketing systems being implemented elsewhere in the country.

Even the attendance of marketing department officials, including biometric attendance registering, be also made part of the new digital system. The market yards should also have closed-circuit camera systems to monitor maintenance of godowns and daily activities. Digital screens also be arranged so that farmers could know about the prices elsewhere in the country.

On the Koheda integrated fruit market, the Minister asked the officials to ready at least the first phase by March next. He expressed dismay over the delay in taking up the tendering process stating that it would delay the completion of the market.