IDUKKI:
The e-auction of small cardamom at the Spices Park in Puttady in Idukki district will be resumed soon, informed Spices Board.
The works of the maintenance operations and technical upgrades at the e-auction are being carried out in full swing. All anomalies at the e-auction centre will be rectified soon for a smooth and glitch-free e-auction of cardamom.
Spices Board informed that the false propaganda against the e-auction centre at Puttady had created panic among the farmers. The Board advised cardamom farmers not to fall into the trap of the negative information and ensured that the upgradation will be completed soon.
The cardamom e-auctions at Puttady have been temporarily shifted to the facility at Bodinayakanur in Tamil Nadu to prevent disruption of the trade while the maintenance is underway. The Board had set up the electronic auction centres in Bodinayakanur and Puttady in 2007 to ensure transparency, streamline the process and avoid problems associated with traditional manual outcry auction system.
The two centres use the same e-auction software the system, which suffered repeated breakdowns in Puttady due to the aging bidder terminals and computer network that needed urgent replacement. After the trial run and completion of the upgradation process, there will also be live streaming of e-auction in both Puttady and Bodianayakanur through its website.
The Spices Board oversees the auctions at these centres and is in charge of maintaining the e-auction software, bidding terminals, network and servers for the system.
