A transformational impact on the farming community

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Addressing the challenges facing Indian
Agriculture is crucial for achieving inclusive growth

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Integrated rural development challenges: The pain
felt by most farmers in India

 What price should I expect for MY

crop?

 When should I harvest and where

should I sell MY crop? • Many middlemen
• Disaggregated markets
• Fragmented information

 What is the likely weather condition in

MY district?

 How can I boost MY productivity?  Farmers get very little for their produce

 Where do I get insurance, loan or the  Huge wastage in crops and resources
subsidy from?

Source: University of Agriculture sciences, Technopak retail report, FICCI research,

Primary research (n=2000), Trials (~ 600), McKinsey Faida report Confidential
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Addressing the consumer pain through the first
highly personalized professional information
service
RML: A revolutionary
Everyday…… RML: A revolutionary
personalized
personalized decision-
decision-making tool.
• Crop Prices from nearby • Localmaking
language
tool.
and far off markets • Local language, fitting
Local content
•in Fitting
their inworkflow, as per
their workflow
• All operators and handsets
• Local and international their individual
• Over the Counter
Agriculture News that • As per preferences!
their individual
impact crop or input preferences!
prices

• Advisory Tips that help

improve productivity

• District Level Weather

forecasts that help
improve productivity

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User Experience made super-easy

1. Scratch Card

2. Call Us

3. Service Starts

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Impact on the farmers lives…

Ravindra Shinde harvested

“ I used to sell Bananas soybean and was about to sell.
for R. 4 a kilo. Based on The price was Rs. 1620/- (~$32).
RML messages, I He gathered from RML about a fall
negotiated the rate to Rs. in soybean production in the US
7 per kilo with the same and Argentina. He held back the
buyer”. 75% higher price. sale and sold later at 2430/- (~$50)
per quintal.
     
“I I got message on relative
“I received the name and humidity going up to 70%. As a
phone number of the local precaution, I put a spray of Rs.
500 (~$10). My friend did not
officer to get the seed know this. He lost nearly Rs. 4
subsidy. I was able to act on lakh of his crop that day.”
the information immediately.”

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Impact on the farmers lives…continued…

SavedRs.
Saved Rs.12000
12000on
on
SavedRs.
Saved Rs.20,000
20,000 chemicalsandand
onnot
notre-sowing
re-sowing chemicals
on increasedyield
increased yieldby
by
andincreased
and increased 1.5-2qtlper
peracre
acre
yieldby
by15-20%
15-20% 1.5-2qtl
yield

Applicationof
Application of
micronutrients
micronutrients
Increasedyield
yield22 increasedyield
increased yieldby
by2-
2-
Increased
quintalper
quintal peracre
acre 33quintal
quintalper
peracre
acre
andsaved
and savedRs.Rs.
20,000by
20,000 byusing
using
lessseeds
less seeds

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Impact on the farmers lives…continued…

Weather Commodity Commodity

Crop Advisory
Forecast Price Update News
All fig. in % Top box scores only

Message Completeness 93 93 93 92

Relevancy of the info

92 91 92 94
message

Accuracy of the info

75 79 89 92
in the message

Reliability of the info

77 81 89 92
in the message

By following, I have made profits 39 60

60 31 34

Base: All Respondents who get information about

587 580 475 487
that particular information set

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 Will you recommend RML
Reasons for buying “Reuters Market to your
Light” subscription? Fellow Farmers?

All fig. in %
RML information messages help me plan my farming
73
activities in advance
RML information messages help me to get good rates Yes, 94%
64
for my crops
58
RML information messages help me make profits
RML information messages help me take informed 53
decisions on selecting which markets to buy / sell from
Due to RML information messages, I can guide my 46
fellow-farmers on farming related activities
No, 4% May be, 2%
With RML information messages, I feel a sense of pride 18
that I am more knowledgeable than other fellow-farmers
Don’t Know/Cant say 6

Base: over 500

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The RML Journey: Bringing the Reuters Core
Competence to the Farming Community

Content Delivery Sales Marketing Support

• Hundreds of • Personalized • Through over • Awareness • Choice

content on all 40,000 rural and throughout
professionals operators outlets Education of the crop
in villages and handsets Farmers cycle

RML
launched
as a
business

Leading experts in rural markets helped developed RML.

Jan 06 Apr 06 Jul 06 Oct 06 Jan 07 Apr 07 Jul 07 Oct 07

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Recognized as pioneer by the experts……

FT & Justmeans World Economic Forum in ICRIER study in 2009 The UNDP accolade
Social Innovation Cape Town in 2009
in 2008
Award in 2010

Mention in Nandan Nilekani's London Business Prof. C.K. Prahalad's

Cambridge University book 'Imagining India' School case study in 2009 path-breaking book
Business and Poverty "Fortune at the Bottom
Leadership Program of the Pyramid"

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Creating a multiplier effect…and continuously
improving….
Sharing lessons with the world
• Government and rural development
officers in Kabul, Afghanistan

• Development and donor community

at the IFC, Washington, DC

• Advisor to the Government of

Tanzania

• Workshop for key World Bank

Officials at World Bank, New Delhi

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RML’s growth in India….

• Over 3 years, several hundred thousand

customers.

• Most now buying for over 6 months.

• Reached over a couple of million farmers

through using and sharing

• An estimated 15,000 plus villages.

• Hundreds of full-time content

professionals.

• Over 250 crops and varieties, 1000

mandis, localised and international
news, and 2000 weather locations for 13
states.
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RML: A transformational opportunity for Indian
agriculture
Estimate
Today Potential
12 crore
12 crore 10 crore
[Cultivators]

[Mobile users] 8 crore

3.6 crore

[RML users]

0.1 crore

Average income
increase of an INR 5,000* INR 5,000
RML user

Total income
increase of all INR 500 crore INR 40,000 crore
RML users

* = lower estimate of the ICRIER study

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In Summary

• RML has built a revolutionary service

that directly and positively impacts the
farming community
Inclusive and
Sustainable
growth in the
• It is a platform for passing country.
personalized actionable knowledge to
the farmers An example for
other countries to
emulate.
• It can be a valuable partner to
organizations engaged in agriculture.

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