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Asia's largest
Agricultural Database Ready
Trivandrum, India,
Jul. 8 2002 (INS News) --
Asia's largest database in agri-business is almost
ready, thanks to the untiring efforts of a planter
at Kalpetta in Wayanad, district northern part of
Kerala state.
The
Herculean task of gathering relevant information
on all aspects of agriculture in the globalised
economy and digitalising them has been carried out,
almost single-handedly, by the 45-year-old A V Narayana
Swamy, for whom collection of vital information
on farming has been a passion.
It
has been a 'tapasya' for him for over the past five
years. His database now runs into more than 150,000
pages, contained in more than 300 modules. The modules
cover all relevant issues in the current global
trade and practices, of over 1,000 varieties of
plants and their products.
''My
aim is not quick profit,'' says Narayana Swamy.
''I had put in on an average 16 hours of work every
day for the past five years. The motive was never
commercial. There were only my family members to
support me in my task,'' he adds.
What
is sought to be built is a business model as an
information technology enabled service (ITES) in
aid of the Kerala state farmers who intend to remain
and work in their lands, he clarifies.
When
the rest of Kerala, politicians, businessmen and
bureaucrats, were debating the WTO implications
on agriculture and agri-business, Narayana Swamy
concentrated on his creative job of codifying and
digitalising all the info, available the world over,
on agri-business.
The
information he has in his database covers the role
of associated technical assistance providers in
WTO-related subjects such as International Genetic
Resources Institute, World Customs Organisation,
World Intellectual Property Organisation, International
Grains Council, International Standards Organisation,
Food and Agricultural Organisation etc.
Narayana
Swamy is now busy developing a website for easy
accessibility by the farming community. He proposes
to offer web services through an e-com portal that
will look into the entire supply chain to the farm
and act as a link between farmers and trade.
At
this portal, information on how to cultivate, calendar
of operations, the maximum residue limits of chemicals,
photo-sanitary standards, post harvest processing,
information on prices and trade leads, automated
record keeping, legal advice on contract farming
and information on commodity market derivatives
would be available.
A
panel of experts will be available for guidance
and expert opinion online. The voluminous database
will be soon translated into Malayalam and delivered
through all internet access devices.
The
target audience consists of individual farmers,
farming families, farmers' associations and farmers'
cooperatives. Although, at present these farmers
and their associations are segmented on the lines
of the crops they grow, in the not too distant future,
the need to diversify their operations would make
it necessary for very farmer to know everything
about everything in agri-business.
Narayana
Swamy is lately holding meetings with various state
and central agencies including the Kerala State
Planning Board.'' The response has been quite encouraging,''
he states.
--
Sam
Asharaf
- South Asia Correspondent in Trivandrum, India
-- To respond to this story or post a follow up
e-mail editor@insnews.org
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