Riding with its proposed Kisan SEZ in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh, Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) is betting big on telecom services in the State. Having formed a joint venture company with Airtel, called IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd (IKSL), it hopes to give vital information about farm inputs and reach the farmers directly through a dedicated helpline.
IKSL will offer products and services which are designed to help farmers through its societies in the villages across the State. Bundled with an Airtel mobile connection, farmers get access to a unique value-added platform that will broadcast five free voice messages on mandi prices, farming techniques, weather forecasts, dairy farming, animal husbandry, rural health initiatives and fertilizer availability, etc on a daily basis. In addition, farmers will be able to call a dedicated helpline, manned by experts from various field.
Sharing the details of the tieup, Somasekhar Rao, director, IFFCO, said that Andhra Pradesh is the 14th State to roll out these services.
More than 10 lakh IFFCO society members of the State will be benefited with this venture as communication is the key to empower farmers. ”It is more of a marketing tieup and not related to any financial aspect,” he added.
Airtel will offer competitive calling rates at 50 paise per minute for calls between IFFCO members. This is expected to promote community building within the society and the rural community at large. Besides, Airtel will also set up towers at sites provided by IFFCO societies to provide quality services to the farmers.
