How mobile phones are helping farmers in India


Ossian Agro Automation Private Limited, a Pune-based manufacturer of rural wireless automation systems, is in dialogue with Nokia to offer 'Nano Ganesh', a product which allows farmers to use mobile phones to remotely monitor and switch on or off their irrigation pumps, bundled with the Finnish company's handsets.

"We have already discussed a few business models (including distribution and bundled offer) with the marketing officers of Nokia in Maharashtra to aggressively push our Nano Ganesh technology into the market. If we are recommending Nokia phones with Nano Ganesh, why not promote our technology along with their handsets? We are awaiting a positive response from them soon," said Santosh Ostwal, chief executive officer of Ossian Agro.

Ostwal was speaking to Business Standard on the sidelines of Oracle's JaveOne 2012 event, which kicked off in Hyderabad on Thursday. Oracle presenters will share the company's vision for Java at the two-day event in which over 2,000 Java developers are participating.

Ossian Agro, which first tested Nano Ganesh in Maharashtra in 2008, has so far installed 15,000 units, mostly using Nokia devices, in Maharashthra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. Nokia has recognised Ostwal's work at the All Innovators contest in Barcelona last year with a cash prize of $25,000.

Nano Ganesh is a circuit board connected to the existing starter of an irrigation pump. A farmer has to simply dial a number (from a mobile phone or a fixed line) dedicated to a Nano Ganesh set and then punch the on or off code to control the pump set...........Read More

 

Source: Rediff.com


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