Shillong, August 1: In five years time, farmers in Meghalaya will be reaping the benefits of convergence of Information Technology (IT) with agriculture as result of the Agriculture Information Systems Network (Agrisnet) and Agrisnet services provided by the Meghalaya agriculture department.
The two IT enabled services-Agrisnet and Agrisnet services- will redefine the way the farmers nurse the soil and market their products. Middlemen who all along have been exploiting the farmers by offering them rates far below the market price will be extinct as a dodo.
The Agrisnet aimed at providing advisory and extension services to the farmers using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by providing all the relevant information to the farmers’ that will help in improving the quality of soil, the farming activities they must undertake and early crop weather situation.
The Agrisnet services provide online soil sample submission, soil sample test, its result and recommendations. It also keeps the farmers updated of the current market prices through the new media like website.
Agriculture Development Officer (Info& IT) Canning S Shabong told Oh ! Meghalaya, “The daily update of the market prices of agricultural goods will help farmers make decision. The prices are being displayed in the notice boards in all the centers up to the block levels.” There are 225 common services centers throughout the State.”
Shabong said as the farmers will be getting accurate information about agricultural goods price daily, the middlemen who were exploiting the farmers by providing misleading information will soon disappear. He felt this will not only benefit the farmers but the consumers as well.
As of now the information are provided in English and Khasi language, but soon it will also be given in the Garo language.
To make the farmers conversant with the ICT tools, the agricultural department has been organizing workshops all over the State.
By Our Reporters
