Digital Technology a necessity to create a vibrant Rural Business Ecosystem

Bhubaneswar:  Digital Technology has become a great enabler for Farmers’ empowerment, which has been a major focus area for the government.  If we have to create a vibrant Agri and Rural business ecosystem, it is necessary to create a technology platform to bring farmers, financiers, and suppliers together in one marketplace, said Balaya Moharana, Chief Technical Officer, DeHaat and Co-founder, DoVo Health.

Speaking at the Rural Management Business Conclave – Abhivyakti, organized by the Xavier School of Rural Management (XSRM), under the Xavier University, he said that machine learning and social media lend the much requisite edge to rural business. Speaking on the issue of digital marginalization, Sasanka Sekhar Singh, Director, Sutra Consulting Private Limited said that digital technology can be used as an infrastructure. He also stressed on the importance of how we need to think and act from a manager’s perspective, rather than from a marketing point of view. 

 Satyajit Kumar, said that 10 years back marketers held the upper hand, but in due course of time, the customers are equally informed due to the readily available internet resources. Farmers now take informed decisions and awareness is on the higher side. He also discussed on the significance of SEO in the digital world, how social media these days can easily make or break a brand’s image and the need for a human to human interaction.

Speaking during the  second-panel discussion revolved around the policies and rural business in the digital era, Vijay Sardana, Independent Director, Nabkisan Finance Limited and Chairman, ASSOCHAM Task Force, said that  rural economy has an inbuilt potential. The need of the hour is to connect micro markets to mega markets for equal distribution and commercialization of unique resources.