NCDEX ties up with DD Kisan to provide agri-price information

Apart from data for price tickers, NCDEX will also provide news stories, analysis and features to showcase economic turnaround in rural India

Leading agri-commodity bourse NCDEX today said it has tied up with public broadcaster Prasar Bharati for providing spot and futures prices of farm items to the soon-to-be-launched 'DD Kisan' channel.

Besides providing data for price tickers, NCDEX will also provide news stories, expert analysis and feature stories to showcase the economic turnaround stories from hinterlands and rural India, NCDEX said in a statement.

"In the run up to the launch of the ambitious central government project, DD Kisan has roped in NCDEX as its knowledge partner to increase awareness about (farm) markets amongst the viewers of the channel," NCDEX said in a statement.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard last week, it added.

The exchange will help the channel showcase developments in the primary markets in addition to producing a pro-bono half-an-hour weekly show for farmers.

Commenting on the development, NCDEX Managing Director and CEO Samir Shah said: "We are enthused by this path-breaking initiative by government and stand committed to strengthening it through the vast and in-depth knowledge reserves that we have built over the last decade."

The government and Prasar Bharati are preparing in full swing for launching the channel at the earliest.

Ahead of the general elections last year, BJP had declared that, if voted to power, it would "explore setting up regional Kisan TV channels".

In his 2014-15 Budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had allocated Rs 100 crore for launch of Kisan channel to provide real-time information on various farming and agricultural matters.