Mony K. Mathew

Thiruvananthapuram , May 23

THE State Government has drawn up an IT-enabled project to address the gap in agriculture information flow and transaction management.

The project - market-driven agricultural initiative through IT-enabled agri business centres - is proposed to be piloted in Malappuram district with the participation of `Akshaya e-kendra' entrepreneurs.

According to officials of State IT Mission, the co-ordinating agency, the project envisages establishing a connected farmers community throughout the State, which has access to information on market demand, prices and good agricultural practices. It is to be funded by the National Institute of Smart Governance.

The project features `agri business centres' through which farmers and other stakeholders can interact with agricultural service providers in the private, government and non-governmental sectors. Web-based platforms will be used to create a virtual services gateway for participating members.

The network of agri business centres will be driven by a State-level resource cell and district-level implementation cells.

Apart from farmers, other stake-holders in the project include buyers in key markets, including manufacturers; input providers for seeds, plantlets, fertilisers, pesticides and test laboratories; warehousing facility providers; logistics services support providers; and banks and insurers.

The pilot project in Malappuram district, which requires a funding of Rs 1.46 crore, targets 50,000 farmers who will be connected to the other stakeholders through 110 agri business centres.

The farmers will be registered with the agri business centres with details such as acreage by product, number of plants, seeds used and expected quantity a month.

The registered farmers will get an opportunity to test their soil samples for advice on fertilisers, directives on crop maintenance and information on new plantation, prices and markets. The network will provide the entire range of agricultural services, ensuring a complete supply chain management.

Officials said the project would benefit farmers by providing access to information on schemes, subsidies, modern agricultural methods and pest control measures. Farmers can also look forward to logistics support, cost-sharing possibilities, access to micro-credit and insurance support.

Stakeholders such as buyers and exporters can contact the farmers producing any specific crop and confirm purchases in advance, facilitating better control over supplies. They can also select farmers for producing any variety of crops on a contractual basis, integrating supply of seeds and plantlets.

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