Reuters Market Light

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RML AgTech Pvt. Ltd. formerly known as Reuters Market Light
TypeIndependent Business
IndustryTechnology solutions for agriculture, digital technology
FoundedOctober 1, 2007
HeadquartersIndia
Key people
Amit Mehra: Founder and Former CEO
Websitewww.rmlagtech.com

RML AgTech Pvt. Ltd. (RML AgTech), formerly known as Reuters Market Light (founded & earlier led by Amit Mehra) is a business to provide Technology & Data Analytics Solutions to farmers and the agriculture value chain.[1]

The Decision Support Technology provided farmers with personalised agricultural data analytics. They received data on topics like pre-sowing or post-harvest via a mobile application or SMS during the initial phase.

Approximately 3.4 million Indian farmers across 18 states were a part of this service. They received information on 450 crop varieties and more than 1300 markets.

Core Business[]

At its core, RML AgTech Pvt. Ltd. was an information service provider to farmers. [2]

They offered various services like - tailored information about crops and markets to farmers, information sharing through SMS, communication in the local language, farming tips based on local and international standards, user-friendly interface across all handsets and telecom operators, and easy accessibility for farmers to reach out in case of grievances through rural outlets.

History[]

Thomson Reuters (then Reuters) began with a one-page idea of a Reuters employee to use mobile solutions to address the state of farmers around the developing world. Initial research suggested that farmers lacked relevant, reliable, timely and consistent information and commerce support to improve their productivity, reduce their crop losses and realize fair prices for their produce.[citation needed] One major insight was that this deficiency must be addressed at an individual farmer basis. Their type of crop, soil, location, irrigation type, language and even the stage of the crop cycle must all be taken into consideration.[3] Thomson Reuters incubated RML as an internal start-up as part of its global innovation program. Following nearly 18 months of market research, user-led prototyping, and market trials, RML AgTech was officially launched on October 1, 2007, in Maharashtra by Sharad Pawar, the union minister of agriculture of India followed by launch in Punjab in 2008 by Mr. Prakash Badal, state's Chief Minister.[4]

After reaching a million users pan-India on its multi-lingual highly personalized mobile product, the business was spun-out to accelerate its commercial growth with equity funding by Thomson Reuters and IvyCap Ventures Advisors Private Limited (IvyCap), a venture capital fund management company. IvyCap, which is backed by the IIT Alumni Network, was the lead investor in RML AgTech with Thomson Reuters remaining as a shareholder and partner in the newly formed RML AgTech Pvt Ltd (formerly RML Information Services Private Limited).

The company evolved from a phone-led product to an android app for the farmers in addition to launching data and commerce-support products for enterprises connected with agri value chain such as banks and agri-input and sourcing companies. RML also worked with state and central governments and partnered with other businesses in the telcom business such as Nokia, Idea, Airtel and Vodafone. Some parts of the company were renamed FarmBee in 2018.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ "Aid on mobile brings smile on farmers' faces". Sakaal times. 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010.
  2. ^ https://www.apnnews.com/state-bank-of-india-and-rml-information-services-pvt-ltd-sign-an-mou/amp/
  3. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7385663.stm
  4. ^ "Mobile phones transform life of India's poor". Financial Times. 18 January 2010.
  5. ^ . "Thomson Reuters partners IvyCap Ventures". Business Standard. February 25, 2013.

[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

[19][20]

External links[]


  1. ^ "High agricultural credit, crop insurance scheme positive measures in Budget: Experts". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  2. ^ Bera, Sayantan (2014-09-17). "Krishidoot transactions soar as platform helps farmers, buyers". mint. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  3. ^ "GSMA - RML case study" (PDF).
  4. ^ Reporter, B. S. (2009-09-10). "RML, Idea join hands to launch service for rural markets". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  5. ^ "SBI ties up with RML for cheaper agri information for customers". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  6. ^ "Mark Zuckerberg defends Facebook's motives in free internet project in India". the Guardian. 2015-12-28. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  7. ^ Staff Reporter (2011-01-10). "NABARD ties up with Reuters for providing market information to farmers". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  8. ^ "Reuters mobile services for farmers". The Financial Express. 2007-10-02. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  9. ^ "IvyCap and Thomson Reuters Team up to Take Award-Winning RML Service for Farmers in India to the Next Level". www.thomsonreuters.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  10. ^ "Reuters Market Light - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  11. ^ "Connected Farmers - RML India - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  12. ^ Amt, Auswärtiges. "PPP with Reuters Market Light". india.diplo.de. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  13. ^ Amt, Auswärtiges. "Development Partnership with the Private Sector". india.diplo.de. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  14. ^ "Reuters Market Light Now Available in Local Post Offices Across Maharashtra - PR Newswire APAC". en.prnasia.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  15. ^ "FarmBee - The Pomegranate Expert – Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  16. ^ "RML Trader for Android - APK Download". APKPure.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  17. ^ pawan. "GRAM REVOLUTION". Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  18. ^ "PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  19. ^ "Founder Amit Mehra quits agri-tech venture RML". Techcircle. 2015-12-28. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  20. ^ Cave, Kathryn (2014-03-12). "Indian Startups: RML Helps Rural Farmers Via SMS". IDG Connect. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
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