ITC to set up 1120 e-choupals in Maharashtra by March 2005

Tobacco major ITC will increase the number of e-choupals, its IT-based agro trade and services platform, in Maharashtra from 550 to 1,120 by March 2005.

This was disclosed by Rajeev Singh, manager (marketing), international business division, ITC, and branch manager Prashant Mishra, at a programme organised by the Vidarbha Economic Development Council (VED) here.

Most of the existing e-choupals in Maharashtra are in Vidarbha.

E-choupal, which the company describes as ITC's IT-based interaction with agriculturists, provides agro-related services, information, product facilitation and output facilitation to farmers. E-choupal comprises an Internet-connected computer which gives daily rates at different markets as also at ITC's procurement centres.

The ITC centre's rates are given one day in advance so that a farmer can be sure of getting the stated price on the day he takes his produce to the centre, Mishra said. Besides rates, e-choupal provides information on crops, cultivation, seeds and weather. Services such as soil testing and lab analysis of the produce is also provided, he said.

Launched in June 2000, ITC has opened 2,700 e-choupals across five states "" Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The crops covered are soyabean, wheat, paddy, coffee and shrimps. The plan is to open 20,000 choupals across 14 states by 2010, he said.

In Maharashtra, the first e-choupals were opened in eight soyabean-growing districts in Vidarbha last year.

Simultaneously, it has opened its buying centres. There are two such centres in Nagpur district, in Umrer and Katol talukas, Mishra said.

The e-choupals will start dealing in sunflower and pulses soon, he said.