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Virendra Pandit

Ahmedabad, May 6

The Ahmedabad-based Nethotzone, which introduced the concept of free Internet at select places here, has now joined hands with the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) at Vadodara to launch free wireless-based Internet kiosk for farmers at its premises during the Krishi Mahotsava to be organised this month by the State Government across Gujarat.

As part of the deal, Nethotzone would supply and maintain the Internet kiosk meant for farmers coming to the Vadodara ‘mandi.’

The kiosk would be manned by skilled manpower with technical expertise from Hotwan, a US-based software company.

The ‘Mall-to-Mandi’ effort by Nethotzone is meant to provide information, connectivity and content to farmers in their own language.

“Our idea to get the farmers hooked to computer the way they get hooked to mobile phones and TV,” said Mr Shailesh Patel, Chairman, APMC, Vadodara, here.

The service would have an advertisement revenue model to sustain itself.

The Nethotzone’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr Chetan Ingole, told reporters that farmers coming to market their agricultural produce, including vegetables, would get relevant information such as rates of various commodity exchanges, rates from different mandis and updated information on markets as also the APMC Model Act, 2007.

Information would also be provided online on daily prices and stocks of the commodities in APMC at other places, financial help available from different institutions, seed technology and management, pesticides, fertilisers for various crops, soil and its fertility.

The Internet kiosk at the mandi would also facilitate booking of air, train and bus tickets, provide courier service and mobile phone recharge facility. The user would be allowed 20 minutes of free Internet access.

More Stories on : Internet | Gujarat

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