Launching an interactive tamil app for farmers soon

Tamil Virtual Academy (TVA) in Chennai is in the final stage of developing an interactive system that can answer queries on preventing plant diseases or the right pesticides to use and crops that are widely cultivated in the state.

The app can clarify farmers’ doubts on crop diseases, fertilisers and soil fertility based on the information available in the database. The information is sourced from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

According to a recent study, about one-third of the 351 million internet users in the country are from rural areas. Low-cost and easy-to-use mobile devices to access the internet are pushing the growth in rural areas as well.

There are applications such as Kisan Suvidha, IFFCO Kisan Agriculture, Agri App and Agri Market that currently help farmers with clarifications regarding crop insurance, prices and other issues. But having a platform that helps the user to speak in the vernacular language is expected to be more effective.