UNCTAD launches Information Economy Report 2010

by Mohammed NAALIR

The UNCTAD's Information Economy Report 2010: ICTs, Enterprises and Poverty Alleviation will help the Government and policy-makers combat poverty, LIRNasia Senior Research Manager, Sriganesh Lokanathan said. The launch of the report held at the Jaic Hilton recently. During over the past few years, the use of mobile phones have gone up from 2 to 25 per cent per 100 persons in the world's least developed countries (LDCs) he said. More than 75 per cent of households in Sri Lanka use some kind of phone such as GSM mobile and CDMA fixed and fixed wireless.

Even in low-income earning countries farmers, fishermen and entrepreneurs use ICT to help their livelihoods. Lokanathan said that in Sri Lanka mobile phone technology helps even poor vegetable farmers to minimise costs.

Lokanathan added that a recent survey conducted by LIRNasia has revealed that some farmers near Dambulla found that they were able to obtain a premium of 23.4 per cent on the average daily market prices at Dambulla Dedicated Economic Centre (DDEC) by having access to timely and accurate market price information via their mobile phones. "Poor people loose opportunities to increase their income due to the lack of information. Such as market-prices, income earning opportunities, agricultural best practices as well as weather forecasts". Mobile phone technology makes it possible for poor people to have access to information as well as to engage in interactive communication.