India’s largest Kisan Call Centre (KCC) in the agricultural sector, a project under the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmer Welfare (DAC&FW) and operated by IFFCO Kisan as the execution partner, is strengthening the farmers through its advisory and consultancy services. Established in 2008, the call centre has come a long way ever since it collaborated with the government to assist farmers in their day-to-day practices. Focusing on improving the quality of the calls and constant monitoring has resulted in a substantial increase in the number of daily inbound calls. Initially, the call centre was operating across 13 locations; today it is operating from 21 locations.

The calls are being answered by approximately 600 agriculture experts who are hired from different agriculture universities from morning 6 AM to evening 10 PM. Taking into account the diversity of the country, the service comes in 22 vernacular languages to overcome the geographical barrier. KCC establishes to resolve the enquiries with 90 percent efficiency, the average answering speed is less than 10 seconds. It not just supported the farmers against the devastating shutdown but also contributed to the country’s economy. Entertaining more than 22,000 calls daily, the call centre ensured uninterrupted service even during lockdown owing to the collective expertise of the team functioning from their home.

The calls are being answered by approximately 600 agriculture experts who are hired from different agriculture universities from morning 6 AM to evening 10 PM

From guiding the farmer’s over the call to providing additional services crucial for enhancing productivity, KCC has proved to be a true companion assisting farmer’s in every step of the process. Moreover, the team backed up with intensive training has been well versed in Kisan Knowledge Management System that comes handy in providing myriad services that doesn’t compromise on the quality. Periodic training and monitoring is conducted for the tele advisors for quality assurance and successful resolution of the issues.

To expand the verticals of services, KCC is diversified in the realm of automated calls updating on weather and mandi price. In addition to this, the services are not just limited to agricultural advisory but have included other allied services entailing horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and others. Thus, the Kisan Call Centre is entirely dedicated to improving the farming techniques that aligns with the goal of enhancing the overall livelihood of the farmers where they can emerge as an enriched and empowered community. Keeping in mind the potential of the agricultural sector, the call centre is intensively working towards making agriculture the backbone of India’s GDP and eventually farmer welfare.