"We're making a difference in farmers' financial lives and saving them time too," said Intuit Chief Technology Officer Tayloe Stansbury. Intuit demonstrated the service at a showcase of new technologies in New York on Thursday.

Over 700,000 farmers have used the program, called , since its launch in October 2009.

This service is aimed at getting the best prices for farmers' crops. Today, a farmer may fill a cart with fresh produce and take it to market, only to find no buyer will offer a decent price. Because the produce is not refrigerated the farmer must sell at whatever price is being offered, even if that price is so low that the farmer won't be able to recoup the investment. For farmers already impoverished, such a loss can be devastating.

Using this service, a farmer scans offers and picks the best price that is being offered locally. Farmers can get, on average, 20 percent more for their goods, or about US$250 a year, using the service, Intuit estimated.

Because most farmers can only afford low-cost prepaid cellular phones, Intuit created this service so that it can be accessed purely through SMS (Short Message Service). Intuit staffs a call center to collect price quotes from the buyers, which then it formats as text messages for farmers. Currently, it charges neither party in the transaction, though Intuit plans to look at ways of monetizing the offering in the near future. The service has been offered in two India states, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, and the company is now ramping up the service in a third state, Karnataka.