In a bid to bring some 55 million farmers in rural India under its fold, Bharti Airtel today announced a joint venture with the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative that will provide Airtel’s telecom services to the latter’s members. The new entity, IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd (IKSL), will provide products and services targeted at farmers with Value Added Services like daily voice updates on mandi prices, farming techniques and so on. IFFCO will be the majority stake holder in the venture. 

“This venture will give us disproportionate market share in rural India,” said Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and managing director, Bharti Airtel. The company expects nearly two-thirds of its subscribers to come from rural India in the coming months. At present, nearly 40 percent of its new subscriber additions come from rural areas.

Subscribers of IKSL will enjoy lower call rates of 50 paise per minute for calls made to other IKSL subscribers. Meanwhile, Airtel will be able to roll out its network in these areas by setting up towers at sites provided by IFFCO societies. The carrier is expected to roll out 30,000 base stations this year, which will add up to its existing setup of 70,000 base stations.