What’s in the news?

• Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has inaugurated e-SANTA portal. It is an electronic marketplace providing a platform to connect aqua farmers and buyers.  
• The term e-SANTA stands for Electronic Solution for Augmenting NaCSA farmers’ Trade in Aquaculture.  
• National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) is an extension arm of Marine Products Export Development Authority under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

About e-SANTA

• e-SANTA is an end-to-end electronic trade platform between aqua farmers and exporters. The aqua farmers have the freedom to list their produce and quote their price while the exporters have the freedom to list their requirements and also to choose the products based on their requirements such as desired size, location, harvest dates etc. 
• This enables the farmers and buyers to have greater control over the trade and enables them to make informed decisions. 

Significance

• e-SANTA will raise income, lifestyle, self-reliance, quality levels, traceability, and provide new options for aqua farmers. The platform will change the traditional way of carrying out business from a word of mouth basis to become more formalised & legally binding. 
• e-SANTA will act as an alternative marketing tool between farmers & buyers by eliminating middlemen. The platform is available in many languages which will help the local population. 

Reference:

1. http://newsonair.com/News?title=Piyush-Goyal-inaugurates-e-SANTA%2c-an-electronic-marketplace-for-aqua-farmers&id=414131