Farmers to get district-wise weather-based agro advise

Chandigarh, May 28 (UNI) Farmers can now have district-wise specific forecasts for about a week in advance along with advisories for carrying out appropriate weather sensitive agriculture operations for better crop production, under the District Agromet Advisory Service (DAAS) to commence from June 1.

Vital information about weather parameters like rainfall, temperature trends, wind, cloud cover and relative humidity for up to the next five to seven days would be provided to the farmers by the Met Department.

At present, the India Meteolrological Department (IMD) had been providing weather forecast for the next two days for the entire state in qualitative terms.

Under the new service, area-specific farming advisories would be prepared based upon the district-level weather forecast and would be disseminated to the farming community for carrying out appropriate weather-sensitive farming and enable them to take preventive measures, if needed, for better productivity.

DR S C Bhan, Director, Regional Meteorological Centre, New Delhi participating in a meeting to discuss the implementation of the DAAS in Haryana, said the department had roped in experts of the Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar to prepare exclusive weather-based Agromet Advisories for the farmers in each district in view of the weather forecasts and stages of the crops in different districts of the state.

For the timely dissemination of farm advisories up to the village-level, the extension machinery of the State Government, State Agricultural University, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Agriculture Technology Management Agencies (ATMA) and the electronic and print media would be extensively used to disseminate these advisories, he said.

Advance telecommunication tools like the internet would be used to prepare the advisory and sent to the block-level Agriculture Development Officer, who would be the nodal person to coordinate the activity of the agro-advisory dissemination through his Village Development Officer (VDO), Gram Sevak, Gram Sahayak and other agencies like the NGOs.

It was also proposed to involve the unemployed village youth and progressive farmers in the massive excercise.

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