Transportation in Agriculture

A Case of Kisan Rath App

Abstract

Transport is regarded as a key factor in improving agricultural development all over the world. It is also important for making agricultural marketing efficient as it is required at each stage of marketing. Considering the importance of transport, the Government of India launched Kisan Rath Mobile Application to facilitate farmers and traders in getting linked with the appropriate mode of transportation for movement of farm produce. The App failed to maintain the interest generated among different stakeholders initially as suggested by the declining downloads over time. According, a study was undertaken by MANAGE in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to analyze different aspects of Kisan Rath App. The study revealed that level of awareness was more among the market players like traders, wholesalers and logistic service providers having better understanding of market and easy access to market information. More than half of the users are relying on locally available transportation facility which makes it important to integrate such service providers with the App. to bring in more efficiency in the delivery of service. The use of application may be enhanced by improving literacy of farmers on ICT, providing better information technology infrastructure and making the App. more user friendly and comprehensive by integrating others services like market information