5 e-EXT – Pvt Sector

Transcript

Hello Friends. In our previous discussion we were talking about the e-Extension initiatives of Non Governmental organizations, wherein a variety of services that are being offered by the nongovernmental organizations with the help of information-communication technologies and how the farmers are responding to those technologies, that we have already observed. In this discussion we will be discussing regarding the e-Extension initiatives of private sector organizations.

Private sector organizations are one of the important agencies, specially who are providing the input services, the marketing services and various other types of services for the farming community. Where the government is having minimum stake, there the private sector is having maximum stake. Ultimately so it is providing service also, but the only deviation is, the private sector is having the motto of profit maximization.

ITC e-Choupal

So the first such effort that we can take up is the ITC’s e-choupal. So which is one of the very popular and mostly discussed initiative of ITC, which is into agriculture sector. As we are already aware. ITC is having the agro-based products like the biscuits, atta and so many products in the market. So they need huge quantity of raw material like wheat, then soyabean and number of such products.

So just for procurement and to maintain the quality, they started the concept of choupal, wherein they are providing e-Mediated extension services totally free of cost. And at the same time they are providing inputs also to the farmers for cultivation purpose, and they are having the mechanism of buying back the product any marketing services. So all these services are being provided to the farmers in the form of a package.

So that is how the e-Choupal emerged as one of the most successful exercise in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and in the State of Karnataka for coffee marketing. Like that they are expanding now the various things. Looking into the success of e-Choupal, they started launching SoyaChoupal in the State of Madhya Pradesh. Aqua-choupal in the State of united Andhra Pradesh, but now it is Telangana as well as Andhra Pradesh. Both the States that we can find such initiatives.

So the basic idea is, once you provide them the quality information. The farmers are into the production process. So they will be making use of those information. So only the mediation is with the help of information-communication technologies. And they are harnessing the benefits of that and they are coming out with the products as well as services. So this is in a nutshell about the ITC e Choupal program.

Tata Kissan Kendra

Then coming to the Tata Kissan Kendra, which is providing

• The agro-input services including the seeds, pesticides, fertilizers at the affordable prices to the farmers. And in addition to that they are providing the farm equipments and their leasing, then agronomic services, the bulk blending, training as well as information and so in case of agriculture as well as in allied sectors also they are providing the information.
• They provide sms to the farmers on various issues.

So this is about the Tata Kissan Kendra
Hariyali Kissan Bazaaris an institution that is promoted by DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd, which provides the services related to

• the agricultural inputs. They provide all the agricultural inputs for the farmer such as the seeds, fertilizer, then the pesticides etc etc.
• The financial services are also being provided by this DCM Shriram. Access to the credit, then insurance, then various banking services to the farmers.
• Then the market linkages are also being provided to the farmers in the form of maybe the buyers or the sellers etc etc.
• Warehousing as well as commodity exchange services are also there
• Then they send the messages to the farmers on the cultivation, marketing, processing etc etc aspect.

Then the Skymet Weather is a

• private organization which is meant for the weather forecasting.
• They offer accurate weather predictions and release the related data frequently and the faster rate
• Then Skymet also provides agro-advisory and crop statistics along with the customized weather forecast. Based on the weather forecast what are the precautions to be taken, and what are its implications on various other agricultural operations. That is being provided by this Skymet Weather

Then AgriApp has been launched with a motto to connect the agricultural ecosystem with the digital world. While enabling and equipping the farmers with the next generation farming techniques like “Making each farmer a digitally enabled Agricultural entrepreneur”

The services offered under AgriApp include the bio-fertilizers, fertilizers, fungicides, seeds; all the inputs that we can say. So this is how the farmers are getting the benefits of this app.

Then coming to IFFCO Kissan App. SoIFFCO services include a huge range of services that are being offered by this IFFCO Kissan app

1. In addition to the free voice messages,
2. Then the dedicated helpline for query resolution by the experts.
3. Call back facility to listen to the voice messages.
4. Then mobile quizzes and phone-in programs
5. Then focused services for groups with common interest are some of the services that are being offered by the IFFCO.

Then coming to Agri Media Video app. As the title is itself self explanatory

• It is an online marketing place bringing farmers, agricultural input-output as well as the farming retail as well as the fulfillment services on this online platform.
• It provides chat services for the farmers to solve their query related to agriculture with the option of uploading the images of the infected crops, so that the experts can revert back with a solution.
• Farmers can easily chat with agricultural experts and discuss their problems, so that they can have the online solutions for the problems what they are facing at their individual level.
• Then provides videos related to agricultural practices, new technologies, successful farmers, the success stories, then the rural development, agricultural news etc etc.
• So as on date more than 10,000 farmers are the beneficiaries of these efforts.

Then coming to AgroStar Agri-Doctor

• So which is an initiative of ULink Agritech Pvt Ltd.
• It is India’s foremost agritech startup working on the mission of helping farmers to win by providing complete range of agri solutions at their finger tips.
• Technology platform provides a combination of agronomy advice coupled with service and agriinput products that enable the farmer to significantly improve their productivity and income.
• Currently operates in the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. More than 5 lakh farmers are the beneficiaries of this AgroStar Agri-Doctor.

Then coming to the Kisan Yojana ( Kisan Yojana android apps)

• It provides the information about all government schemes to the Kisan. So the major problem with the farming community is, as on date there are more than 140 schemes(8:01)related to agriculture that are implemented by the Union Government. But if we ask even the expert, so how many of the programs that they can count. So that number may go up to 5, 10, 15, 20. But beyond that it is very difficult to recall the names of various schemes that are launched by the government. So that is why this Kisan Yojana android app is listing all these government programs launched by the government under one platform.
• It commutes the information gap between the rural people and the govt. So even the people living in the rural areas are the real beneficiaries of this.
• It also provides the schemes of the State Govt in addition to the Union Govt.
• This mobile application also saves the time and travel expenses of the beneficiaries. As on date more than 50,000 farmers are the beneficiaries of this App.

Then KrishiWorld.com is a private blog

• To educate the farmer with the latest agro information. And to use new techniques to solve the inflexible farming problems. So once you enter into this thing. So that a knowledge repository is there, so that you can be a beneficiary of that.

Then coming to an organization known as Farm Bee

• So it is an app with less memory and easy user interface.
• It is available in 10 different Indian languages. The language barrier is broken here.
• Then it provides information at every stage of the crop life cycle.
• So the farmer can choose more than 450 crop varieties and more than 1,300 markets and 3,500 weather locations. So this is what is the range that Farm Bee is having. So that each and every farmer in different situations in the Indian context are the beneficiaries of this.
• It also provides the Mandi price and the weather forecast. So this is what is the information what the farmers want primarily. Their marketing related information and their farm based providing.
• About 0.5 million farmers are using this app

Then coming to AkashGanga

• Shri Kamadhenu Electronics Pvt Ltd (India) is providing this service of AkashGanga in case of dairy sector since 1996.
• It offers integrated solutions for Automated Milk Collection Centers. So the milk producers as well as the cooperative societies are the real beneficiaries of this.
• More than 8750 automated milk collection centers are getting the benefits of this
• The quality based payment system for the milk producers is the application that it is providing. So that it is acting as a ready reckoner for calculating the price of the milk and farmers are getting the benefits of that.

Then coming to MyAgriGuru app

• It helps farmers to know and understand their crop in a more comprehensive manner.
• The farmers can send crop images to MyAgriGuru for a speedy resolution by the agriculturalexperts, who are sitting at the other end looking into these photographs. They can analyse and they can send the solutions.
• The success stories, the latest technologies and best practices related to the crop are uploaded on this app, so that farmers can get motivation and they can learn from the experiences of other farmers.
• Then weather condition and market prices are also being provided with the help of this app.

AGRIWATCH.com is a customized agri commodities research based organization. It has a network of more than 5 lakh farmers and 25,000 traders. This number itself gives us the volume of the business that these people are, these organizations are doing. And the number of beneficiaries that we can think of. So it is providing the services which include

1. The value chain studies
2. Sub-sector studies
3. Then the consumption studies
4. And the crop surveys which are very very important for the farmer

• Pre-sowing study of the farmer’s sowing intentions, so that they can suggest based on the survey.
• Then study of crop progress during the crop growth phase. So that they can provide you all alternative mechanisms as well as the control measures for protection of the crop.
• Then harvest estimation and yield studies accordingly you can plan for marketing, as well as you can think of doing business from these harvests.
• Then production estimates based on the studies which helps you to take the appropriate decision in trading your produce.
• Then satellite mapping and modeling, so that you can protect the crop from the various number ofvagaries.
• Then price forecast based on the time series modeling, so that the farmer can take the better decision in selling his produce.

Conclusion

To conclude, we can say that

• Private sector is more aggressive in delivering e-Mediated extension services. Because the primary motto of the private sector organization is profit maximization. In the process of profit maximization of this private sector. So that is indirectly helping the farmer because they are providing the quality services and they are providing the quality inputs. Ultimately the farmers are going to benefit out of that. And it also motivates the farmer to translate himself from mere producer to be a trader.
• Since the motto is profit maximization, the farmers can harness the potential of the private sector for their benefit also.

So with this we are coming to the conclusion of this topic, that is the e-Extension initiatives of the private sector

Friends with this we are coming to the end of this 6 week course. So after this you will be having a Quiz. So I hope you enjoyed this course. Still if you have any questions, I welcome you again to post your queries on the Forum, so that you will get the response from the course instructors. And at the same time if you have any innovative things to share, any experiences that you want to share. So that can add to the knowledge base of the entire learning community as well as your course instructor. So that yo  can be a part of this e-Mediated learning and exchange of ideas, activities also. I hope enjoyed this course, and we will meet again and again.

Thank You.