Before ITC introduced us to e-Choupal, we were restricted to selling our produce in the local mandi. We had to go through middlemen and prices were low. ITC trained me to manage the Internet kiosk and I became the e-Choupal Sanchalak in my village. Today we are a community of e-farmers with access to daily prices of a variety of crops in India and abroad – this helps us to get the best price. We can also find out about many other important things – weather forecasts, the latest farming techniques, crop insurance, etc. e-Choupal has not only changed the quality of our lives but our entire outlook.

Despite being a farmer for over 50 years, I have never been able to save much. I joined an ITC supported forestry group and my fortunes changed. My 4.6 acres of barren wasteland is now a flourishing pulpwood plantation.

My first harvest yielded enough to repay my loan, as well as purchase a motor pump and an acre of paddy land. I have also been able to put something away for the future - a fixed deposit and an LIC policy.