``Even though the prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee underscored the importance of the market information systems, it is one of the crucial technologies required throughout the countryside,'' Simons said.

``Get your market information systems in place'' cautioned Simons at the Agro Advantage, Maharashtra while addressing a seminar `Marketing and Cold Chain'.

The policy-makers at the centre have no idea as what is required by regional agricultural pockets and vice versa, he said. MIS is not as expensive as is generally believed.

It merely requires an exhaustive compilation data and providing it on-line to the end users who are the farmers on the one end and the consumers on the other.

Along with the establishment of MISis the need to develop infrastructure facilities at the production point. Roads, for speedier transport facilities, storing and grading shed, packing and grading infrastructure with controlled temperature and atmosphere, medium capacity cold storage and store houses for packed material like insecticides, Simons said.

In any MIS there are primarily three stages the concept stage, the pre-feasibility stage and the feasibility stage.

According to Simons Agriculture is a big industry in India and it is also a problem industry it is here that a MIS is essential. Profits from agriculture produce is heavily dependent on infrastructure and market information. According to Simon, these are the only tools by which the Indian farmer can control his markets. Market Information systems are the key to development of infrastructure for rural markets.

Simons even suggested a system of electronic trading for futures in agricultural produce.

This is a system of forward and backward information of price and need-basedinformation. The market information system will include all information regarding prices, investments, manufacturing, requirements of all products.By providing the infrastructure for MIS, the Indian farmer will be master of their produce, he will have the right information on when to release his produce into the market for maximum benefits just as any other entrepreneurs.