Cellphone Company + Fertilizer Company = Cool Idea

IFFCO Kisan Sanchar (IKSL) is a unique partnership between India’s largest mobile operator, Airtel and Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO). According to the brief on iGovernment:

IFFCO Kisan Sanchar (IKSL), would be focusing on communication requirement of rural India, besides providing agriculture related information to enable villagers take right farming decisionsIKSL will offer handsets, co-branded SIM card, and agro development voice messages in regional languages related to farmers

There is a lot of synergy between both these companies. IFFCO has significant access to farmers and farming communities, being a major player in the country’s fertilizer industry. Airtel on the other hand is focused on extending rural connectivity and bundling additional services into cellphones. Of course, cellphones themselves are touted as the next big development success story (talk about unintended consequences), as highlighted in this space before.