Who said emergency phone numbers are only for patients and their kin? Farmers also need it to attend to health problems of their crops.

Here comes an emergency number for them – 208, on the lines of 108 that is gaining currency in the country.

“Farmers can call 1800 2666 208 to schedule a visit of ‘Rythu Ratham' (which looks like a 108 ambulance). It is a one-stop-shop information source for all farming needs that includes information on fertilisers, crop diseases and government schemes,” Mr Srihari Kotela, Managing Director of eFresh Portal (Private Limited), said.

Good practices

At the launch of 208, he said the ‘Rathams' would encourage good agricultural production practices in order to get additional incomes for farmers.

The company tied up with Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, University of North Bengal and Food Safety and Knowledge Network for the initiative.

Agri-related issues

He also announced the launch of eFresh portal providing information on a variety of issues related to farming, policy and commodity markets.

“The portal will create awareness to farmers on market conditions, helping them in price discovery,” Mr R Ramachandran, Chairman and Managing Director of Andhra Bank, said.

More ambulances

The company is planning to have a fleet of four 208s by the end of the financial year.

Mr Srihari said though India ranked very high in production of several agricultural commodities, its visibility globally was very poor.

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