Indian Farmers Tapping Potential of Online Advertisements

As advertisements from small Indian villages gradually make their way into the world of internet, the online classifieds are witnessing an increase in product-ads that are a way beyond usual items.
Indian Farmers Tapping Potential of Online Advertisements
A screenshot of an ad selling a cow on olx.in. The advertisement placed by a man from a village in Kerala shows an increasing trend of people from rural India taking to online classified sites for selling cattle. (Epoch Times)
Venus Upadhayaya
6/15/2013
Updated:
6/16/2013

As advertisements from small Indian villages gradually make their way into the world of internet, the online classifieds are witnessing an increase in product-ads that are a way beyond usual items.

A recent report from the Press trust of India (PTI) said that online classifieds like Quikr and OLX are finding good traction for their business from many semi-urban and rural areas in Indian states. These sites offer users to buy and sell a wide range of products, which has led enterprising farmers to use the facility to sell their animals online.

As an age-old practice, in India dairy and draught animals are sold in regular community markets. Now with internet penetrating the heartland, farmers are gradually tapping on to the online platforms to bring the flavor of the local market to the internet.

“People are now witnessing responses to ads even for pets and animals like cows and buffaloes, which have been listed for sale on OLX from rural or semi urban areas,” Amarjit Batra, the chief executive officer of OLX, told the PTI.

Pradeep, a farmer from Vahanum village in Kerala, knows little English and prefers to advertise with OLX classifieds, as he believes the site is good for pulling in potential customers, thus increasing his cattle sale.

“I’m getting one or two calls every day from Kerala as well as from other states. Just today a person called from Ernakulam (a major financial and commercial hub of Kerala),” he said.

With increased internet penetration in smaller towns, the Indian online classifieds are taking a step ahead to market a wider range of items, while at the same time providing the rural masses a new approach to improve their business and life.

Venus Upadhayaya reports on wide range of issues. Her area of expertise is in Indian and South Asian geopolitics. She has reported from the very volatile India-Pakistan border and has contributed to mainstream print media in India for about a decade. Community media, sustainable development, and leadership remain her key areas of interest.
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