Thomson Reuters' Reuters Market Light has ventured into Himachal Pradesh with its SMS based service for farmers. The distribution network is being set up and work has just begun there, Ranjit Pawar, Vice President - Operations, Reuters Market Light (RML), Thomson Reuters told MediaNama. Launched in October 2007 after more than a year of research on information needs of farmers in India, Market Light has established itself in three states - Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra today. It will expand to UP, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh next. "Gujarat is especially a good prospect for us as it has high teledensity," says Pawar. Quick Facts About RML Commodities Tracked: 125 Mandis Observed For Prices: 400, out of which 195 are in Maharashtra Type of Information: Weather, crop information, mandima prices and regional news. Packages: Rs 175 for 3 months, Rs 350 for 6 months, Rs 650 for 1 year Longer Subscriptions A Positive Indicator Till 2008, most customers preferred quarterly packages but since then the trend has moved to half yearly and yearly subscriptions which could be an indicator of acceptance. On an average, customers are buying RML's service for 5.5 months, Pawar said. RML To Stay A Premium Service In Punjab and Haryana, RML has experimented with different price points: the same packages cost Rs 250, Rs 500 and Rs 850. Feedback from the sector puts this as too high a rate for agri information and that a subscription price of Rs 15 per month is what will work. RML has a…
