2 hours ago
The Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) is expanding its retail business to sell farm products directly to consumers, Amar Ujala reported. The organisation plans to open stores in six major cities and set up dark stores to speed up online deliveries.
Nafed’s sales surge
Nafed’s retail sales have grown sharply in the current financial year. In the first five months of financial year 2026-27, the organisation sold products worth ₹42 crore, the news report said. This is higher than the ₹32 crore in sales recorded during the entire financial year 2025-26.
Which six cities will get new Nafed stores?
Nafed plans to open stores in six cities in the first phase. These are Bengaluru in Karnataka, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Jaipur in Rajasthan, Kolkata in West Bengal and Guwahati in Assam.
State capitals have been given priority in the first phase. The organisation plans to expand to Tier-II cities and major industrial centres later, the news report said.
Push for faster delivery
Nafed is strengthening its logistics network to expand its online business. At present, orders placed through Nafed e-Bazaar take around three to four days to reach customers.
To reduce delivery times, the organisation plans to turn new and existing stores into dark stores -- local facilities where products can be stored and dispatched for nearby orders, the news report said. This is expected to help customers receive online purchases faster.
Nafed products are available through its official portal as well as leading e-commerce platforms.
₹100 crore target
The news report quoted Nafed Chairman and Managing Director Deepak Kumar as saying that consumers are increasingly looking for purity and competitive prices along with good packaging. The organisation is expanding its retail operations to meet these changing preferences.
With sales already reaching ₹42 crore in the first five months, Nafed expects to cross its ₹100 crore target by the end of the financial year, he said, as quoted in the news report.
