Shri Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries inaugurated efreshindia.com an e-portal to bring farmers, suppliers and customers together here on 11th August 2010 at Shangri-La's - Eros Hotel, New Delhi Shri. Pradeep Kumar Jain – Hon’ble Minsiter for State Rural Development also graced the occasion.
Mr. Srinivasa Reddy Arikatla Director eFresh India Pvt. Ltd & CMD, Ajel Infotech Ltd. He hails from an agricultural community and has seen the needs of farmers and his experience in Software Industry made him to have a vision to Empower Indian Agriculture by this portal.
Mr. Srinivasa Reddy Arikatla at the launch of eFreshindia portal along with Shri. Subodh Kant Sahai (Minister Food Processing Industries)
The portal www.efreshindia.com is a joint initiative by Ajel Infotech Limited, IL&FS, efresh.com Netherlands, FoodCert India. It is farmer friendly and farmer centric. It creates connectivity between the suppliers and the buyers through trading platform. The portal will help increase farmers income through increased agricultural productivity. It will specially focus on north eastern states. Initially the portal is available in English and Hindi and soon Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Kannad, Tamil and Bangla versions will also be available.
Launching the portal Shri Sahai said that this will go a long way in empowering Indian farmers and it will lead to global connectivity and the farmers will be able to get various information about his produce and the suppliers in his own language. He urged upon the portal operators to take this facility to the Panchayats also as the farmer functions through Panchayat only.
Shri Sahai also suggested that the e-portal should also contain information regarding the connectivity of the farmer to the market and the cold chain available to him. Shri Pardeep Jain, Minister of State for Rural Development was also present on the occasion. He suggested that the e-portal should also contain information regarding the connectivity of the farmer to the market and the cold chain available to him.
“We are wasting Rs 30,000 crore of agriculture produce every year, because farmers do not have access to information,” he said. Mr. Karmakar – MD NABARD also suggested that Credit Linkages for Farmers also need to be given in the portal and NABARD will help the portal in this initiative.
Other Dignitaries present for the launch of the portal
Shri. Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Ministry of Food Processing Industry
Shri. Pradeep Jain, State Minister of Rural Development.
Mr. Ashok Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industry.
Dr.K.G.Karmakar, MD-NABARD
Dr. Dinesh Tyagi (CEO –( eGovernance) IL&FS)
Shri. Srihari Kotela – Director – Efresh India
Shri.Srinivasa Reddy Arikatla – Efresh India
Mr. Joost Van Odijk, MD, Efresh
