Civilizations have been dependent on agriculture and agricultural products be it grains, pulses, vegetables, fruits or other bi-products. As individuals got into economic activities, they realised that they could supply at least some of the products grown which others need. This marked the concept of buyers and sellers. Years ago, buyers and sellers were in a small network and in immediate contact. This helped them determine what the other person needs and, therefore, started producing accordingly. As the years passed, economies developed and the trade expanded. This brought in other marketing services such as physical distribution, storage, grading, market information gathering and so.
The number of specialised participants also increased. These specialised partners or agents became the intermediaries between the seller and ultimate buyer. At certain market setups, few buyers or sellers got in direct contact with one another and started communicated.
Let us discuss various stakeholders in the process from growing to procurement to transportation to selling at mandis across India.
Farmers
Most of the farmers or producers are part of one or more marketing functions. Generally they sell the products either in their village or in the mandi. Farmers who produce on large scale, collect their as well as crops of small farmers and then transport it to the nearby mandis. They sell it there and earn a profit.
Middlemen
Middlemen or the commission agents are those individuals who specialize in performing the various trading functions done for procuring and selling of goods. They collect the crops of farmers and sell them at different mandis while keeping a margin amount with them as their charges.
Wholesalers
The next in line are wholesalers who buy or sell goods. They are generally into direct procurement. They do the negotiation with retail customers or those buying for industrial use. Wholesalers act as an intermediary between manufacturer and retailer.
Retailers
They are last in line but very important, retailers are the one who sell directly to consumer. They usually buy from wholesalers but sometimes from commission agents too.
Co-operative Societies
Apart from wholesalers and retailers, there are various co-operative marketing societies involved in the process of providing a market to farmers. They are primarily involved in:
- Selling the produce of member’s.
- Provide storage facilities for storage and grading
- Help farmers in getting fair price for their produce.
Pucca Arhatias
They are the the real purchasers in the wholesale market. They sometimes also buy goods for the firms they are representing such as big mills etc. They place orders to purchase certain quantity within a given range of price. When pucca arhatia trades on his own, they connect with dealers in different parts of country to dispose off the procurement.
Katcha Arhatias
They are the link between farmers and traders. They help cultivators or farmers in monitory terms on a condition that only they shall do the procurement of goods and sell them ahead. He shall charge a very nominal rate of interest on the money provided. Katcha arhatias also charge a commission for their services.
Apart from local people or organisations, Government Agencies or Institutions are also the stake holders in this process.
- The State Trading Corporation (STC)
- The Food Corporation of India (FCI)
Other bodies involved are:
- The National Agricultural Co-Operative Marketing Federation (NAFED)
- Cotton Corporation India (CCI)
- National dairy development board (NDDB)
- Marine products export development agency (MPEDA)
- National oilseeds and vegetable oils development (NOVOD) board
- Agricultural processed products and export development agency (APEDA)
- Jute corporation of India (JCI)
- Tobacco board
- The directorate of marketing and inspection
- Government of India
- State level agricultural marketing departments and agricultural marketing boards
- Fair price shops
- Consumers co-operative stores
- Milk unions
While we have discussed about the agencies involved in agricultural marketing, commission agents or other stakeholders, they also need a easy and reliable mandi accounting software. This software will be used to maintain inventory, generation of bills, keeping a track or commodities as well as of crates. Here they would need a mandi accounting software like ChargeERP.
ChargeERP accounting software has been designed keeping in mind the daily interactions of commission agents in agricultural mandis. It is a cloud-based accounting software introduced with the core aim of reducing the agent’s workload. ChargeERP is the easiest online accounting software available in India. One of the many benefits of this platform is that it can be accessed from anywhere and from multiple devices. It provides data security with end-to-end encryption. Plus, it doesn’t require any kind of technical or accounting expertise.
If you are looking to explore more about this next-level accounting software, feel free to dial +91 9311341199 or visit www.chargeerp.com, and request your free demo today. We also suggest that you follow us on Facebook for regular updates. You can also view the latest instructional videos on the ChargeERP YouTube channel.