Independent grading authority
The 2015 proposal
An independent crop grading/standards authority — third-party, coded to avoid bias, results to a central database, with final rates set by quality.
Where it stands in 2026
Exists as AGMARK plus FSSAI for food safety; the new development is AI/ML assaying at mandis — 134 e-NAM mandis in Rajasthan now use machine assaying to cut testing time.
The open gap
Assaying trust is the real bottleneck for remote, inter-mandi trade.
The path to close it
Trust in the grade is the real bottleneck for sight-unseen, inter-mandi trade. Scale AI/ML machine assaying — already live in 134 Rajasthan e-NAM mandis and in Telangana's Saagu Baagu quality testing — to every regulated market, publish the assay with the lot, and let a graded lot trade across mandis without re-inspection. Keep AGMARK/FSSAI as the standard-setter, but let independent, machine-verified assaying carry the trust.
Sources
- ↗ e-NAM (National Agriculture Market) — Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare
- ↗ Return to quality in rural agricultural markets: Evidence from wheat markets in Ethiopia — IFPRI / Journal of Development Economics (CGSpace), 2024
- ↓ Understanding Codex (Fifth Edition) — Codex Alimentarius Commission, FAO/WHO, 2018
- ↗ Voluntary standards and certification for responsible agricultural production and trade — FAO, 2003
- ↗ AGMARK Grades and Standards — Directorate of Marketing & Inspection, Government of India, 2024
- ↗ Saagu Baagu — AI-driven agriculture initiative for chilli farmers, Telangana — FAO Digital Villages Initiative (Govt of Telangana + World Economic Forum), 2024