Explain the factors responsible for inefficiency of agri-produce marketing. How e-commerce helps to reduce inefficiency of…

Explain the factors responsible for inefficiency of agri-produce marketing. How e-commerce helps to reduce inefficiency of agri-produce marketing? Explain. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

कृषि-उत्पाद विपणन की अदक्षता हेतु उत्तरदायी कारकों को समझाइए। कृषि-उत्पाद विपणन की अदक्षता को कम करने में ई-वाणिज्य किस प्रकार सहायता करता है? समझाइए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

The question as printed in the 2026 General Studies paper

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Model answer

Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.

Factors causing inefficiency: First, multiple intermediaries and cartelisation in APMC mandis widen the farmer-to-consumer price spread through layered commissions. Second, weak cold-chain and warehousing cause heavy post-harvest losses, especially in perishables. Third, poor price information across markets forces smallholders into local distress sales. Fourth, small ungraded lots and sparse regulated mandis weaken farmers' bargaining power.

Role of e-commerce: E-commerce counters these gaps through disintermediation and transparent price discovery. e-NAM links 1,656 mandis across 23 states and 4 UTs (over 1.8 crore farmers registered, 2026), enabling online competitive bidding and wider buyer access. ONDC agri-pilots and B2B agritech platforms such as Ninjacart and DeHaat cut intermediary layers by connecting farmers and FPOs directly to retailers and institutional buyers, while digital logistics apps like Kisan Rath match transport and reduce transit delays and spoilage.

However, thin inter-state trade on e-NAM, weak assaying and the digital divide limit uptake, so farm-gate assaying, FPO aggregation and digital literacy must be scaled up.

How this answer will be evaluated

Framework: Situation > Analysis > Measures > Assessment

What earns full marks: Precise mapping of specific bottlenecks to specific e-commerce solutions with named platforms.

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

The answer Explain the factors behind inefficient agri-produce marketing, and explain how e-commerce reduces each of these inefficiencies. 10 marks · 150 words

explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close
Must cover
- Identify 3-4 specific inefficiency factors (e.g., intermediaries, lack of info)
- Explain how e-commerce addresses specific inefficiencies (e.g., direct link, data)
- Mention specific platforms (e.g., e-NAM, ONDC) or mechanisms
- Maintain logical link between problem and digital solution
Loses marks
- Generic praise of technology without specific mechanism
- Ignoring the 'inefficiency' part of the question
- Listing platforms without linking them to specific inefficiencies
Earns more
- Mention specific data points on price spread, wastage or e-NAM coverage
- Reference specific initiatives (e-NAM, ONDC, Kisan Rath, FPO aggregation)
- Brief mention of challenges (digital divide, assaying, thin inter-state trade)
Extra mark
- Simple flowchart of traditional vs e-commerce supply chain
- Specific statistic on price realization improvement

What "Explain" is asking you to do

Make the working of something clear — what sets it off, what follows from what, and what it produces. Explain is the Commission's mechanism word: it dominates the technical papers and the “explain why” stems, where the marks sit in the causal chain and not in the label.

Structure that answers it

State what it is → the initiating condition → the chain of cause, step by step → an instance where it plays out → what the chain produces

Where marks are lost

Describing what something looks like instead of why it works that way. Naming the stages without linking them reads as description too.

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Model answer

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Evaluation rubric

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