Bharti Airtel in association with Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) has formed a company IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL) to market its products in rural Tamil Nadu. For Bharti immediate customers would be around 67 lakh farmers who are associated with IFFCO in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai today Rajiv Rajgopal, chief operating officer, Mobile Services, Bharati Airtel, Tamil Nadu said that the new campaign called "Grameen Mobile Puratchi" will help the company to penetrate into the remotest regions in the state. It will also add value to the farmers by empowering them through first hand information on mandi prices, farming techniques, weather forecasts, dairy farming, animal husbandry, rural health initiatives and fertilizer availability at their mobile on a daily basis.
In addition farmers can also call a dedicated helpline to get expert opinions from the above mentioned fields.
Anirban Ghosh, chief operating officer Mobile services, Bharti Airtel, Tamil Nadu said that currently in Tamil Nadu there are about 27 million mobile users, of which only 7 million are from rural Tamil Nadu, still there is a big market to tap. This initiative will help the company to penetrate in faster and efficient way. The strategic alliance will enable Airtel to install its cell sites in locations provided by IFFCO with its outlets serving as service facility for distributing SIM cards and recharge cards, he added.
A Jinnah, state manager – IKSL, said that with farmers being stakeholders in IFFCO, which has 4,500 societies in Tamil Nadu, this campaign will not only increase the telecom penetration in the rural areas, but it will also generate income for the society members. A group of 4 to 5 society can earn minimum Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 by selling Airtel coupons, said Jinnah.