One 97 Communications announced the deployment of 800 Paytm EDC devices (card machines) across 42 Krishi Mandis in Madhya Pradesh. This significant initiative empowers the traders and farmers at the Mandis by facilitating smoother and more secure transactions, thus enhancing the financial inclusivity and operational efficiency within the local agricultural community.

A Krishi Mandi is a marketplace, part of a state's Agricultural Marketing Board, for facilitating trade of agricultural produce from farmers. For the first time, the Krishi Mandi app in Madhya Pradesh has been integrated with Paytm EDC devices (card machines), marking a pivotal step in the digital transformation of agricultural sales. With the introduction of these devices, the time required to process agricultural sales, which previously spanned across days, has now been dramatically reduced to a few hours.

The devices serve multiple functions, enabling payments as well as creation of printed gate receipts and purchase orders. This comprehensive approach ensures that farmers and traders maintain both digital and physical records of their transactions, increasing transparency, trust and smoother transactions.

Paytm plans to continue expanding this service, with a goal to deploy an additional 1,300 card machines, across various Krishi Mandis over the next two years. This initiative reflects Paytm's commitment to addressing real-world challenges and enhancing digital empowerment in India's agricultural communities.