Government e-Marketplace launches 170 seed categories on platform

NEW DELHI: State-run Government e-Marketplace (GeM), one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms for public procurement, on Monday said it has started offering 8,000 varieties of seeds that can be bought from central and state public sector undertakings on the platform.
GeM has revamped and introduced 170 seed categories on the portal, a commerce ministry statement said on Monday. GeM portal is among the top three e-commerce platforms such as Korea ON-line E-Procurement System (KONEPS) and Singapore’s GeBIZ with cumulative sales volume crossing ₹10 lakh crore since inception.
“Created ahead of the upcoming cropping season, the newly populated categories feature nearly 8,000 seed varieties that can be procured by central/state PSUs [public sector undertakings] and other governing bodies for further dissemination across the country,” the statement said.
The seed categories, which were created after consultation with stakeholders including state seed corporations and research bodies, offer a ready framework for seed procurement. The statement said these incorporate the extant rules and regulations by the government and necessary parameters, easing the entire process for procuring authorities.
“The roll out of these new categories is a part of GeM’s broader strategy to promote category-based procurement through the portal,” it said. With an emphasis on increasing efficiency, category-based procurement of seeds aims to reduce time consumed in tendering processes, stimulate transparency and accountability in government procurement, while facilitating increased participation of sellers across the country, it added.
“We invite sellers to leverage these new seed categories and list their offerings to participate freely in government tenders. We also encourage seed corporations/state bodies to utilise these new categories for cost-effective procurement of quality seeds” said GeM deputy chief executive officer (dy CEO) Roli Khare.
While both public and private sectors companies can sell their products and services through GeM, buyers can only be government entities, including gram panchayats and public sector firms. Defence procurement is one of the major business activities in the platform. Assembly of BrahMos missile is being done through GeM as a service contract. In defence, right from supplying eggs up to the missile parts is being done through the portal, a commerce ministry official said.
GeM provides a level playing field for domestic businesses, particularly smaller ones, physically distant from popular markets, to grow and thrive. Of the ₹10 lakh crore gross merchandise value, orders nearly 50% have been awarded to marginalised seller segments such as artisans, weavers, craftsmen, micro and small enterprises, women-led units, farmer producer organisations and startups, he said.