 "Gujarat adds social networking feature to its mobile app for farmers")
Apart from the regular features of providing information regarding weather and government schemes, the 'Gujarat Sarkar Khedut Mitra' app allows farmers to interact with other farmers as well as government officials through the app.
The app has been developed by Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation Limited for the farmers.
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"Today, most of the farmers are using smart phone and this mobile app will connect farmers of the state with the government. They can find all the information at one place which will help them at many stages," said Vijay Rupani, chief of minister of Gujarat regarding the app.
The app 'Gujarat Sarkar Khedut Mitra' will not only provide just government schemes but will also update farmers on weather, offer expert advice and all other things related to agriculture.
"Today, we have various technologies in the area of agriculture and food processing which can help farmers increase their produce, maintain the quality of their products and also save resources like electricity and water. At the same time we want to make our farmer community aware about some of the state and central government schemes that have been announced with the aim of protecting the farmers from unexpected natural calamities," said Rupani, adding that the app aims at helping farmers tap into modern agriculture techniques and technologies to cater to the global demand.
However, it is its feature of allowing farmers to interact with each other as well as government officials that sets it apart from similar mobile apps for farmers by other states.
For instance, an app launched by Odisha government provides farmers information about available agriculture land in the state. It also alerts farmers on quantity of inputs, as well as inform about its supply chain facilities and other government schemes. Both the Gujarat and Odisha apps find their similarity in the features that update farmers on latest technology in agriculture sector for improved productivity.
States like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh too have either launched or are launching mobile apps for farmers which mostly provide information about weather and crops care related information.
Maharashtra, whose app will go online next month, will provide information about government schemes, agriculture research and its results to the farmers in regional language through the platform. Punjab, on the other hand, recently launched an app called 'Kisan Suvidha' which again provides information on weather updates, crop prices and expert advices.
Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too launched an app by the union government. The Kisan Suvidha app by the Government of India provides information on weather, input dealers, market price, plant protection and expert advices. The app also directly connects farmers with the a call centre for their queries. Some other apps available for farmers include Pusa Krishi, MKisan, Farm-O-Pedia (For Gujarat farmers), Crop Insurance and AgriMarket which provide information on various agricultural subjects.
Meanwhile, Government of India has decided to launch a central scheme titled, 'Strengthening and Promoting Agricultural Informatics and Communications' of which one component is AGRISNET which looks to provide improved services to the farming community.