Pragati Gokhale, Founder of Marketmirchi.com and chief Mentor of Mission Marketmirchi, and National Resource Person for the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, explains the features of e-marketing for farmers and the lessons we’ve learned.
To provide a free online marketplace for farmers struggling to find proper market linkages, I developed Marketmirchi.com, an app that serves as a free, open social mission. This platform is helping numerous farmers, FPOs (Farmer Producer Organizations), and SHGs (Self-Help Groups) across the country to gain direct market linkages, primarily for B2B markets. IIT’s Rural Tech Action Group, an initiative under the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, has adopted this as a project and is supporting Mission MarketMirchi.
The platform is user-friendly, available as both a website and an app, and is multilingual with a simple UI. There are three main sections: Sales, Buy, and Jobs (the Jobs section is exclusively for the agriculture and allied sectors). Under Sales and Buy, there are 26 categories, including grains, pulses, dairy, agro-processing, agro-machinery, animal husbandry, and more. Recently, we added bamboo forestry, spices, cash crops, and biomass/biowaste to these categories. Whatever is marketed in rural India can be found on Marketmirchi.com.
MarketMirchi is an easy-to-use app. If you are a farmer, FPO, or SHG, you can click on the “Post-Free Self Ad” button, which will guide you to choose the appropriate category. After selecting the category, you can post your ad by selecting a sub-category, providing a heading, and adding details. If the price is negotiable, you can enter 0 in the respective field. You can also choose the unit of measurement. If you’re a new user, you can sign up by providing your name, address, mobile number (which will be used as your username), and a simple password. Once registered, your ad will be posted, and you will be directed to a list of buyers for your category, complete with call icons. Clicking the call icon reveals the buyer’s contact number, allowing you to call them directly. 
The more calls you make, the better your active ranking on the app, which increases your visibility to more buyers. Your ad receives higher priority based on the number of calls you make and your activity level on the app. We do not engage in commercial activities, and we ensure transparency by not hiding sellers’ information from buyers. The more calls you make, the more prominently your profile will appear on the app’s priority list for both buyers and sellers. Links to buyers’ and sellers’ lists are available on your homepage below the “Post Free Ad” button. You can access these links at any time to contact buyers and sellers. Fresh buyers and sellers are automatically added to these lists.
NITI Aayog has declared MarketMirchi as the best agriculture app. While it is spread across India, it has limited reach in southern India. As an IIT-backed project, MarketMirchi offers a wealth of training videos in all Indian languages. With the support of NABARD, NRLM, SRLM, and leading NGOs, we conduct hands-on training sessions for farmers, especially in remote areas. We have incorporated AI to help search for buyers for all agro-rural products, and we also have a budget for training B2B buyers. Many B2B buyers, such as Akshayapatra and Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, are using MarketMirchi to procure directly from farmers.
How to Use Marketmirchi for Selling, and Buying Agro Rural Products?
On the homepage, under the “Sell” section, you will find the “Post Free Sales Ad” button and a link to call buyers. Once you post your ad, you will receive a contact list of buyers. You can post free advertisements to gain market linkages for all agro and rural products—completely free of charge. This platform allows you to post ads without any middlemen and conduct free direct agro and rural marketing both within India and internationally by contacting customers directly.
The entire process can be done on a smartphone by visiting the website or using the app available on the Play Store. Once the app is installed, you can select the language from the top right corner. You will see three main tabs on the homepage: Sell, Buy, and Jobs. When you click on “Sell,” you will see the “Post Free Sales Ad” button. After clicking on it, you will be presented with a list of categories to choose from. Select the appropriate category and post your ad for free.
After posting the ad, you will see the call list. You need to fill in all fields marked with an asterisk (*). If your product is organic, you can mention that in the appropriate field. In the “Sales Details” field, you can describe the product, such as its type and quality. Enter the price in numbers without any words. If the price is negotiable, put “0” in the price field. You can select the unit of measurement in the next field.
At the end of the page, you will see two buttons—Old User Login and New Registration. If you are a new user, provide details such as your name, address, district, email, mobile number, and create a simple password. After clicking the “Post Ad” button, wait a few seconds, and you will receive a message saying you can directly call the interested buyers. Click on the call button in front of the buyer and click “I have understood.” A new page will open with a list of all buyers who are interested in buying your product. You can click the phone icon to contact the buyer directly.
The more calls you make, the more your market linkages will grow, and your ranking will improve. For each call, you will earn 2 points, which will help increase your ranking. When you click on the menu and select “Home,” you will see a list of highly active ranked sellers at the top.
For buying, go to the Buy section from the menu, and click on “Post Free Buy Ad.” Similar to the Sell page, you will see a list of categories. Select the category you are interested in, and a new page will appear. Fill in the fields one by one: select the subcategory, provide a heading, and enter the price as “0” in the price field. You can select the “Old User Login” option if you’re already registered or use the new registration process. If you want your password to be remembered, click the “Remember Me” box at login. Once you click on “I have understood,” a new page will show you a list of sellers in your selected category.
The more sellers you contact, the higher your active rank as a buyer will be. MarketMirchi does not ask for any kind of payment for priority listings. Your priority will automatically increase based on your active rank, and you will gain more linkages by calling more buyers or sellers directly.
You cannot delete a posted ad yourself; only the technical team of MarketMirchi can do so. You can add a photo of the product by clicking on the “Choose File” button, selecting the picture from your phone, and clicking “Upload.” The ad will now display with the product photo.
To post ads in the Job section, click on the menu, go to “Home,” and click on Jobs. Jobs listed here are specifically for the agro and rural sectors. If you want to hire someone, go back to the menu and click on “My Ad Responses.” You will see all responses for your posted ads under each section. You will receive an SMS and WhatsApp message with the interested customer’s mobile numbers. You can also go to the menu, click on Help, and find instructions for effectively using the MarketMirchi app.
You can select your language and visit the MISSION MERA MOBILE MERA Marketing section from the menu, which explains the MarketMirchi mission. At the bottom of the page, there is a link to success stories. This app is currently available only for Android phones.
Using the same username (mobile number) and password created when posting the first ad, you can post sales, buy, and job ads multiple times and receive a call list of relevant buyers, sellers, or job providers.
What are the key principles of eMarketing that farmers should understand to be successful?
The first point is that farmers should be persistent. Secondly, they should not expect customers to line up immediately after posting an ad. They must understand that every market is not just a seller’s market but also a buyer’s market. Initially, farmers should start by calling the buyers to increase the ranking of their ad. As the ranking improves, buyers will start calling them.
Farmers or FPOs should understand that they need to take the initiative to contact buyers first and make them aware of the quantity available. Buyers can then purchase collectively, which will help farmers earn more profit. Buyers may need to visit the seller’s place, as the price could be negotiable depending on logistics and other factors.
Farmers should understand that ours is a free platform offering both buyers’ and sellers’ contact lists, and they need to call and establish their market linkages. Market Mirchi is a cross-state, cross-district, and cross-border platform. When farmers find online buyers, they can negotiate with them and engage in trade to secure better prices. We have seen success in states like Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and more.
How has eMarketing impacted the agriculture industry and farmers’ livelihoods?
eMarketing has had a significant impact on the agriculture industry and farmers’ livelihoods. Previously, farmers relied on traditional marketing channels like APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) to get market linkages. However, not all products can be sold through APMC, and there is limited choice of buyers outside of this system. APMC primarily handles grains and pulses, leaving other agricultural products without a reliable marketplace.
This is where eMarketing comes into play. With most farmers now using smartphones, they can easily learn the techniques of eMarketing. Platforms like Market Mirchi assist farmers by teaching them how to post ads using their smartphones and gain market linkages without spending a single penny.
Additionally, when farmers transport their products to APMC, the expenses are often high. In contrast, they can utilize eMarketing platforms like Market Mirchi, which is completely free and can yield tangible results.
What is the main challenge faced by farmers in adopting eMarketing strategies, and how can they be overcome?
Which digital platforms have proven to be more effective for farmers in eMarketing, and how?
What role do data analytics and market research play in eMarketing for farmers?
Can you share some success stories of farmers who have benefited from eMarketing practices?
A farmer from Rajasthan placed an ad on our app to sell desi cow dung, which helped him secure significant market linkages in Delhi and Mumbai, where there is high demand for desi cow dung for rituals. A group of women from the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana in Jharkhand posted an ad for sarson (mustard) on our app after receiving low prices at the APMC mandi. After training, they came together, negotiated, contacted buyers, and secured a better deal from Gujarat, with traders visiting their place to purchase at Rs. 6000 per ton, which was far higher than the local mandi price.
In Chhattisgarh, a farmer posted an ad for millet on our app when the price was Rs. 60 per kg. After contacting a buyer from a nearby district, the farmer was able to sell the millet for Rs. 70 per kg, making a profit. With proper training, farmers are empowered to trade effectively on their own.
In Osmanabad, a Self-Help Group (SHG) prepared vermicelli from millets and connected with Mumbai Grahak Panchayat through our app. Another success story comes from the Northeast, where a bamboo entrepreneur from Guwahati used our platform to gain B2B market linkages for the artefacts he developed, connecting with a buyer in Chennai.
All these success stories are recorded and available on the Market Mirchi YouTube channel. Recently, Akshay Patra, the largest Mid-Day Meal Program, also started procuring from farmers via Market Mirchi.
