Call tenders for AI-powered digital market yards, Tummala tells officials | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Telangana govt plans to introduce an AI-based digital market yard system that will bring every stage of agricultural trading, from a farmer’s entry into a market to crop sale and payment, under a single digital platform. Agriculture and marketing minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Monday directed officials to invite tenders within a week for the proposed system, which the govt aims to develop as a model for the country.At a review meeting with senior marketing department officials and minister D Sridhar Babu at the secretariat, Tummala said advanced technology should be used to ensure remunerative prices for farmers and complete transparency in market transactions, leaving no scope for irregularities.Under the proposed system, farmers’ details will be registered on arrival at a market yard and a unique lot ID will be assigned to each consignment. Crop quality assessment, digital bidding, online auctions, price fixation, farmer consent, weighing, sale bill generation, market fee calculation and payment will all be integrated into one platform.After the auction or tender process, the system will display the final price. An OTP will be sent to the farmer through the commission agent to obtain the farmer’s confirmation before proceeding with the sale. The produce will then be weighed and a sale bill generated based on the recorded weight and agreed price. Details of market charges and payments to farmers will also be recorded digitally.Once all transactions are completed, e-receipts and e-permits will be generated at the gate exit. The minister said the system should eliminate manual intervention and ensure accountability at every stage.He also called for a management information system (MIS) to capture real-time details of arrivals, price trends, traders, commission agents and auction transactions. Historical auction and transaction data should be preserved and made available for analysis and inspections whenever required, he said.Directing officials to study digital market systems in other states and develop a more advanced model for Telangana, Tummala said the new platform should also incorporate attendance and biometric monitoring of marketing department staff.He suggested installing CCTV cameras to monitor market yards, warehouses and daily operations. Digital screens should display prices prevailing in different markets across the country to help farmers and traders make informed decisions, the minister added.