The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is engaged on a plan to offer localised medium-range climate forecasts in regional languages via quick message service (SMS) to farmers on request and at no cost.By dialling a devoted quantity, farmers from anyplace within the nation can request for climate data similar to rains, temperature, humidity and wind velocity for the subsequent 5 days for his or her village or block.
The requests made by the farmers can be processed by a devoted staff in IMD and data can be given to them in respective regional language via SMS. According to M Ravichandran, secretary, ministry of earth sciences, customised data on climate occasions on the regional degree on request would assist farmers to plan their agricultural actions similar to use of fertilisers and different inputs, irrigation and so forth. Citizens also can request for details about their native climate forecasts utilizing the widespread telephone quantity.
“Since large sections of farmers don’t have smart phones (through which they can get weather related information), the current system of providing advisories is more generic to a district and voluntary,” Ravichandran instructed FE. The data to be supplied shall be extra particular to the world of farming and therefore extra helpful to the farmer.
At current, below a joint initiative of IMD, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), a cellular app ‘Meghdoot’ supplies district particular farm advisories on crop and livestock administration in English and native languages.
IMD has arrange near 200 agro-automatic climate stations on the district degree for producing data on rains, temperature, humidity and wind velocity. Under the Gramin Krishi Mausam Seva, the met division can be offering district degree climate forecasts twice every week in collaboration with state agricultural universities and affiliated institutes of ICAR, which capabilities below the agriculture ministry. The district degree climate forecast for the subsequent 5 days contains details about rainfall, temperature, wind velocity and path, humidity and clouds.
Currently, IMD additionally supplies weekly crop particular agro-meteorological advisories in vernacular languages to greater than 28 million farmers within the nation utilizing numerous communication instruments similar to SMS, interactive voice response utilizing agriculture ministry’s Kisan portal and thru non-public entities similar to IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited, Reliance basis and Mahindra Samriddhi below public non-public partnership mode.
An agriculture ministry official mentioned agromet advisories assist farmers to make choices on day-to-day agricultural operations. They can then plan enter assets on the farm degree in case of maximum climate circumstances and thereby assist enhance crop yield.
Source: www.financialexpress.com”