In a move that could help Airtel give a major boost to its rural foray, Bharti Airtel Ltd on Friday announced a joint venture (JV) with Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) to bring 55 million farmers into the mobile telephony fold.

The JV company, IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL), will offer calling rates of 50 paise per minute for calls among IFFCO member farmers who will also get access to a value-added service platform that will broadcast five free voice messages daily on relevant topics like mandi prices, farming techniques, weather forecasts, diary farming, animal husbandry, rural health initiatives and fertiliser availability.

“Farmers using IKSL services will be able to call a dedicated helpline, manned by experts from various fields, to get answers to their specific queries,” IFFCO managing director U S Awasthi said.

IKSL will immediately roll out its services in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh in the first phase, Bharti Airtel Ltd CMD Sunil Bharti Mittal said.

The second phase of expansion will bring Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala under the IKSL fold and by 2009 it will have a “pan-India” footprint, Mr Mittal said, adding that facilities like money transfer would also be introduced on the network once there is government clearance for it.

“The joint venture company will harness the power of telecom to add value to the farm sector and empower the rural farmer by giving him access to vital information,” Mr Mittal said.