Government e-Marketplace launches 170 seed categories on portal

New Delhi [India], November 4 : On a mission to simplify access to quality agricultural and horticulture seeds, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has revamped and introduced 170 seed categories on the portal.
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 and other governing bodies for further dissemination across the country.
Created after consultation with stakeholders including state seed corporations and research bodies, seed categories on the GeM portal offer a ready framework for seed procurement, incorporating the extant rules and regulations by the Government of India and necessary parameters, easing the entire process for procuring authorities.
The rollout of these new categories is a part of GeM's broader strategy to promote category-based procurement through the portal.
"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 Roli Khare, Deputy CEO, of GeM.
With an emphasis on increasing efficiency, category-based procurement of seeds aims to reduce time consumed in tendering processes and stimulate transparency and accountability in government procurement, while facilitating increased participation of sellers across the country.