ITC Ltd has extended its e-choupal initiative to Rajasthan and has added two more commodities, pulses and mustard, to its trading basket.
Thus, ITC has extended its network to six states covering more than 21,200 villages through 4,100 e-choupals, providing access to over 2.4 million farmers.
"Rajasthan has become the sixth state in our network, and the choupals are trading in soya, wheat, mustard and pulses", S Sivakumar, chief executive, agri-business group, said.
The e-choupal initiative bagged the 'World business award', instituted by the International Chamber of Commerce and the United Nations Development Programme on May 18 in Paris.
The e-choupals in Rajasthan have been set up at Kota, Bundi and Jhlalwar and are being rolled out elsewhere in the state.
In addition, the network is being extended in Maharashtra with the Vidharba area being covered as of now. In Andhra Pradesh, the company had been negotiating with the state for extension of its basket of products beyond the existing aquaculture products.
"In view of the elections, negotiations were stalled and will be resumed soon with the new government," Sivakumar said.
ITC would like to take up trade in chillies and turmeric in collaboration with government agencies