Business Models for E-Commerce
the e-choupal initiative is a long way from becoming e-business nirvana for rural India. Telecommunications infrastructure costs are significant, adoption is slow, the network is unreliable, and the sanchalaks have limited experience managing a business. There is no guarantee that ITC will achieve its ambitious goal of expanding the e-choupal network to cover 100,000 villages and 10 million farmers in five years. Nevertheless, what it has achieved so far paints a tantalizing picture of the possibilities of e-business for rural India. And it offers valuable insights into using creativity and pragmatism to overcome barriers in implementing e-business solutions.



