The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : IFFCO – Airtel tie-up to tap rural market

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Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

IFFCO – Airtel tie-up to tap rural market

Staff Reporter

Coimbatore: Airtel, telecom service provider, and Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) have formed IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL) to tap the rural market under the Grameena Mobile Puratchi scheme.

The Chief Executive Officer of Airtel, Tamil Nadu, Rajiv Rajagopal, said that the IKSL campaign with the help of IFFCO would help the company offer customised and affordable products and services for rural consumers. The scheme is aimed at making Airtel’s intent of making mobile telephony more accessible and affordable to rural consumers. The farmer would get vital information that would enhance his livelihood and quality of life. More than 67 lakh society members would benefit.

The rural farmer would have vital market information at his fingertips. IKSL would offer products and services, designed for farmers through Tamil Nadu Cooperative Marketing Federation (TANFED).

Advantages

The offer included mobile handsets alongwith an Airtel connection. The farmer would get five voice messages on prices, farming techniques, weather forecasts, dairy farming, animal husbandry, rural health initiatives and fertilizer availability on a daily basis.

In addition, farmers could call 534351 manned by experts from various fields to get answers to their specific queries. State Manager of IKSL A. Jinnah said that Airtel would offer calling rates at 50 paise a minute for calls between IFFCO members. Airtel would get sites from the IFFCO to set up towers.

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