In a first-of-its-kind attempt, Jharkhand state’s Directorate of Agriculture has partnered with blockchain startup SettleMint to help distribute seeds to farmers.
So far, the partners have distributed close to 30,000 quintals of seeds to around 3 lakh farmers. In the ongoing Kharif season, seeds of cereals and pulses, and oilseeds were distributed using the blockchain-based platform.
The move is meant to ensure that seeds are not pilfered in the distribution process and that farmers no longer receive low-quality seeds under government-sponsored schemes. Using the platform, the agriculture department will be able to track the seed supply distribution across all channels—from issuing supply orders to tracking the delivery of seeds to the farmers.
Jharkhand’s Agriculture Director Nesha Oraon has said that the platform will help the government to track the issuance of type and quantity of seeds issued to farmers on a real-time basis. It will play a key role in filtering out middlemen and tracking the real beneficiaries.
According to the state’s agriculture department, over 3 lakh farmers are registered on the blockchain platform with their AADHAR and mobile number. Information can be uploaded or updated on the blockchain platform only when the farmer provides the OTP they receive on their mobile number.
