eChoupal: empowering the links in the value chain

The ITC Ltd. developed eChoupal program has beat out 134 other nominees to win the 2005 Development Gateway Award – and the $100,000 that come with it. The program has been praised for leveraging IT to virtually cluster value chain participants, allowing millions of Indian farmers to access all-powerful price and product information regarding their crops.

Since June 2000, over 5,200 eChoupal Internet kiosks have been established to serve 3.5 million farmers in 31,000 villages in India. At the kiosks, farmers learn management techniques, order fertilizer and other supplies less expensively, check market prices, and sell products online. As a result, earnings have increased up to 20%.