Bangalore: The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-Operative Ltd (IFFCO), the fertiliser firm in the cooperative sector, on August 4 launched its "agri-portal kiosk" on a pilot basis in Karnataka to provide information on agricultural practices for crops and their prices to farmers.

The first interactive kiosk was inaugurated by Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna at a function in Bangalore.

The kiosks, which will have audio and text mode in Kannada to provide information on land preparation, seeding operations, agricultural inputs, irrigation facility, plant protection and harvesting would be installed in all the 176 taluks of the state, IFFCO Chairman K Srinivasa Gowda said.

The service would be provided free of cost and the farmers how to pay a nominal price for print outs, IFFCO Managing Director U S Awasthi said.

He said the manned kiosk would also provide prices of cash crops and plantation commodities.

"We have so far developed the software in English, Gujarati, Hindi and Kannada. We are planning to set up similar kiosks in other states too," Awasthi said.

PTI