Mobile helpline for the farmer

The hitherto “unconnected” farmer could soon see his cultivation yield better results, thanks to the mobile phone’s increasing reach. Wireless solutions producer Handygo is set to provide an array of services to farmers, covering weather, seed prices, fertiliser doses and best irrigation management practices.

The firm has inked a deal with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for weather data and will update the information twice a week. For now, Handygo has tied up with Airtel to provide these services. The firm plans to add Tata Indicom and Idea to this list soon. Here’s how the service hopes to help farmers:

• The service is available on even basic mobile phone handsets.
• The advisory is available for Rs 1 per minute.
• It is operational in Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• Airtel subscribers in these areas can dial 55678 to access the service.
• Information is categorised by state and delivered in 17 languages.