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This is an archive article published on June 8, 2007
Now, help is a call away
Phagu was worried about his wheat8212;it had braved the untimely rains but now seemed to be in the grip of a mysterious disease.
Written by Alkas.pande
Lucknow | June 8, 2007 12:00 AM IST
2 min read
2 min read
Phagu was worried about his wheat8212;it had braved the untimely rains but now seemed to be in the grip of a mysterious disease. He could have asked other farmers for advice, but instead, reached for the phone to make a call to Lucknow. At the end of it, Phagu knew exactly what his wheat crop needed.
For Phagu and other farmers in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, the new helpline is the best thing to have happened in several years. The helpline has been set up by private telecom player Airtel in partnership with the Indian Farmers Fertilisers Cooperative Ltd IFFCO.
While a pilot project was launched on April 2 at the Danyalpur and Mubarakpur IFFCO societies in Barabanki, the third helpline was set up in Sitapur district in May. Similar helplines will be set up in other parts of eastern UP before the model is replicated across the country.
Shankar Prasad, chief operating officer, Bharti Airtel Limited, UP East, explains, 8220;When a farmer in Barabanki calls Lucknow, his query is registered and the call is routed to the IFFCO centre in Delhi. Experts come up with the solution, which is then explained to the farmer through a customised voice message. The farmer does not have to pay long-distance charges.8221;
As part of the scheme, farmers get five free voice messages a day. The messages update farmers on mandi prices, weather forecast and fertiliser availability.
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