In association with the ISKL (IFFCO Kissan Sanchar Ltd) of Tamil Nadu, the Board launched a new community of spices' farmers called the "Tamil Nadu Spices Community." The Board is enlisting spices' farmers across the state of Tamil Nadu to the proposed community. It is expected to have an initial strength of around 6,000 farmers.
The spices' farmers will get the benefit of voice messages every day from the Spices Board on the schemes, projects, prices of spices and announcements from the Board. The farmers of spices' crops like cardamom, chillies, curry leaf, coriander, pepper, nutmeg, cloves and herbs will benefit in receiving voice messages related to various aspects of spices' cultivation, processing, marketing and exports. The Board will also stand to benefit in terms of having direct interface with the vast section of growers in Tamil Nadu through the mobile network at the shortest and quickest time possible.
Dr A Jayathilak, chairman, Spice Board of India, said at the launch, "This voice-based messages service will provide an interactive medium for the spice farming community. In a country where close to 60 per cent of the 1.21 billion population still depends on agriculture for a living, the spoken message service can be a boon to farmers in distant areas. This will be of great use to illiterate farmers who are not technologically equipped thus leading to better involvement and participation of the farming community with the Board. There will be a helpline also, where farmers can seek solution to their farm-related problems from the experts."
He added, "We are happy to partner with IKSL who will issue green cards to the farmers free of cost during enrolment as member of the spices communities. These SIM cards when used will help the farmers in receiving the voice messages daily from the Board."
The Board is planning to link spices' farmers in every state. To begin with, it has launched the service in Tamil Nadu and will take it to Kerala, Karnataka, Sikkim, North-Eastern States, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. This will help in bringing into effect direct interface of the Board with the spices' farmers who will get to know what the Board is doing. The farmers can also contact the call centres for more deliberations.
