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Gaurav Raghuvanshi

Information is money - this is how a Gujarat IT initiative empowers cotton farmers so they can spin profits from the crop.

N.K. PATEL walks into the Farmers' Information Centre at the Gondal agricultural market in Gujarat with a sample of cotton and hands it over to Tarun Patel, the operator at the cotton-testing machine.

While he waits for the results, he walks across to the next room to enquire about the latest rates from Hitesh who operates the touch-screen kiosk.

At the kiosk, he is able to check the latest ruling price of cotton, not only at the Gondal Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), one of the largest cotton markets in Gujarat, but also the rates being offered at other APMCs across the country.

He also remembers to check the data bank of buyers at the Gondal APMC and makes a note of the names and telephone numbers of people he needs to approach.

Just out of curiosity, he also scans data on the daily arrivals and prices of different varieties of cotton at the APMC in the last couple of weeks.

He also gets a response to his query - on a minor boll-worm infection in a small part of his crop and the corrective action to be taken - from the information system. The system is being set up with assistance from the Central Technology Mission on Cotton in over 100 APMCs across the country.

The information kiosks are linked to each other through an intranet. They are intended to serve as a single-point source of expert opinion and data regarding prices and production, for cotton growers across the country.

According to the Technology Mission on Cotton, all major APMCs that deal in cotton are hooked to the network. Tarun, meanwhile, takes two samples of the cotton brought in by N.K. Patel and weighs them to ensure he gets 10 gm each.

He then stuffs the samples into a brass drum that is linked to a computer-controlled machine that measures the `mic' or the mass per length of the cotton fibre. In just a few seconds, the results are available in micrograms per inch.

Next, he puts some cotton in a cylindrical brass container with perforations. By moving a jaw-like contraption around the container, Tarun `combs out' the cotton fibres. They are then put into a sensor that measures their average length - 27.8-28.4 mm.

At the same time, Tarun checks the humidity level in the room and operates the compressor to ensure that the air inside the room has the optimal moisture content.

The tests are repeated four times and a computer printer that lists the results of each examination and the average values.

N.K. Patel returns from the adjoining room and collects the report. He can show it to prospective buyers to fix a fair price for his cotton.

"When we did not have these machines, we relied on the experience and judgement of the traders. But now, we can generate an authentic report that gives the exact characteristics of the cotton," says G.N. Patel, an officer on special duty at the Gondal APMC yard, one of the largest cotton markets in Gujarat.

The only problem, he says, is that not too many individuals are using the services of the Farmers' Information Centre.

On checking with Tarun, we find that only four to five farmers turn up each day to get their produce tested at the centre. Hitesh tells us that the touch-screen kiosk sees 15-20 visitors each day, but most of them come out of curiosity rather than any intention to use the system.

The Gondal APMC has invested Rs 18 lakh for the cotton-testing equipment, sourced from the Coimbatore-based Statex Engineering Ltd, and another Rs 6 lakh for the information kiosk that has come from the Electronics Corporation of India.

But G.N. Patel is confident that the Farmers' Information Centre will become more popular in the future. The Centre was set up only in September last year and both cotton growers and traders are gradually realising its benefits.

Connectivity and regular data updates at all APMCs is another crucial factor for the success of the system. But in a year when cotton prices have been depressed, farmers like N.K. Patel are realising that information will be crucial to make the best of a tight market.

Tarun and Hitesh can look forward to busy days.

eworld@thehindu.co.in

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