A proof of concept digital marketplace, implemented in Himachal Pradesh by Jica DXLAB, the digital laboratory company of Jica and BCG, has shown promising results in the use of digital tools to increase the income of the small holder farmers and reduce the losses after the harvest.
The market, implemented in collaboration with Agritech company DeHaat and with the support of the Himachal Department of Agriculture in districts such as Solan and Mandi, helped farmers to connect directly with the gathering centers of the farm products.
The Multi-Stakeholder Collaborative Initiative was aimed at improving farmers’ income by creating direct market connections, reducing intermediaries and guaranteeing better price realization.
More than 1,000 farmers were on board the digital market and the initiative led to an average price increase of 10-11 percent compared to the Mandi prize for farmers who traded their products via the digital platform, said Sushma Vasudevan, director of BCG, who orchestrated the project.
The main goal of the proof of concept was to tackle the long-term challenges in the agripalue chain, such as the lack of transparency, involvement of the middle man and lack of market jams, which the farmer’s winsts often reduce by more than a tenth.
Vasudevan said that the digital marketplace farmers have enabled to gain access to real -time market data and prices, and to sell products through the local collection centers with digital tracking, receive payments directly on bank accounts and reduce post -eyelids through integrated inventory management, real -time logistics and storage solutions. The platform was adapted for the context of Himachal, given the hilly terrain challenges of the state.
Nishtha Vengurlekar from Jica said the DXLAB is looking at digital interventions within existing projects financed by Jica. “In Himachal we tried to see how farmers’ income can be improved by crop diversification away from wheat and paddy cultivation,” she said
The pilot initially focused on tomatoes, given the seasonal patterns of Himachal Pradesh, with peas as another oriented crop. Although the proof of concept concentrated on these crops, farmers later used the platform to trade other products, such as cauliflower, although they were not part of the original design. “We look at how we can use this model in the other Jica projects,” said Vengurlekar.
The platform was not integrated with APMC systems, but was operated as a solution from third parties, supported by the State for Last-Mijl version. “I think this is a good lighthouse project, not just to find out what the right way is to scale up a digital marketplace, but to bring every app technical solution to the market through effective cooperation between stakeholders,” Vasudevan said.
Published on September 24, 2025
#Pilot #Digital #Marketplace #helps #stimulate #income #farmers #Himachal #Pradesh