New App Lets Farmers Track Market Prices in Real Time
Daily rates from district markets aim to cut reliance on middlemen
A local startup looking to reduce farmers' dependence on middlemen has launched an app that pulls daily prices from the state's major wholesale markets. The app is available in both Assamese and English.
The initial version covers paddy, vegetables and a handful of fruit crops. Local market observers update prices manually and push them to a central server, from which each user can pull data specific to their nearest market.
"Often a farmer only learns the real price after arriving at the market, by which point the middleman has already taken their cut," the founder said. "Our goal is to close that information gap before the trip is even made."
The agriculture department has backed the app and plans to promote it through the state's farmer-producer organisations. Future versions are expected to add soil-test results and weather alerts.
