The Economic Times reports that Reuters launched Reuters Market Light, a service that provides information on crop prices, weather updates and other agri-related news via SMS, in April 2007 in Maharashtra and currently has 7,000 registered members. Plans are on to extend this service to Punjab , Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

Reuters has tied up with the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board to provide prices of wheat, tur dal, soyabean and onion and it has been working with various partners in delivering this service, which include NGOs and traditional distribution channels. The article didn’t mention the pricing of the service but If the offering is successful in India, Reuters will extend this service to African countries.

Numerous experiments are being conducted in this area and some of the problems seem to be lack of content and inadequacy of kiosks as modes of delivery.[see related links] Reuters seems to be plugging both these gaps i.e. it is providing content and using mobiles as the distribution channel. Waits to be seen if there’s money to be made here and if Reuters will be spinning out vernacular content to address the information needs of different Indian states.

• Rural Internet And Digital Education Initiatives Meet Little Success
• Gates To Assist Maharashtra Govt To Set Up Information Kiosks for Farmers