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The Common Services Centres (CSC), an SPV under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, has tied up with the Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd (KRIBHCO) to provide access to fertilisers and agricultural inputs to farmers through the network of around 4 lakh Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) at the last mile.

CSCs will facilitate the sale and distribution of products of KRIBHCO, which manufactures, imports and markets fertilisers, agri inputs and seeds, including fertilisers like imported urea, DAP, NPK/NPS, bio-fertiliser, city compost, zinc sulphate, certified seeds, hybrid seeds, and potash derived from molasses.

Early this year, CSC set up an agri services platform to facilitate agri inputs like seeds, manure, and pesticides, rent and hire of farm machinery and implements, and trading of agri produce etc. through its VLEs and farmer producer organisations (FPOs).

Elaborating on the partnership, CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd Managing Director Dinesh Tyagi said: "Our alliance with KRIBHCO is a step ahead in furthering the agenda of the government in serving the farmers and agricultural community. The last mile delivery of fertilisers, seeds and other agri products is an important aspect of our activities at CSCs and the partnership will help us reach out to farmers and citizens in the villages with timely supply of reliable and quality agri inputs."

KRIBHCO Managing Director Rajan Chowdhry said that this partnership will usher in a new era where farmers can get cost effective agri inputs at the click of a mouse and smartphones, thereby promoting 'Digital India'. FPOs, as agribusiness retailers, will help the farming community become "agriculture entrepreneurs" from "agriculture producers", he added.