Weather updates on cellphone for 40m farmers in 4 states

  • | Saturday | 28th July, 2018

Once this happens, for example, grape farmers in a block can cover the vineyards with nets when hail is expected," Chattopadhyay added. "Using observations from automatic weather stations and high-resolution forecasts for consequent five-day period, crop-state and stage advisories will be prepared for these blocks. The India Meteorological Department ( IMD) will issue block-level forecasts for farmers in the country, beginning with Karnataka, Chhattisgarh Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on an experimental basis.Block-level advisories are likely to help farmers take up better sowing and crop management practices, increasing their incomes. By 2020, we aim to cover the maximum number of blocks in the country," Chattopadhyay said.Plans are afoot to integrate the IMD's 26 doppler radars with the cellphone numbers of farmers so that they can get information on upcoming extreme weather events within minutes. "This will help them take precautions in time.

The India Meteorological Department ( IMD) will issue block-level forecasts for farmers in the country, beginning with Karnataka, Chhattisgarh Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on an experimental basis.Block-level advisories are likely to help farmers take up better sowing and crop management practices, increasing their incomes. The Met department will extend the advisories to Maharashtra , Bihar and Odisha later.Currently, district advisories are issued by the IMD in collaboration with state agricultural universities, institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Indian Institutes of Technology, covering 660 districts in the country.Earth sciences secretary M Rajeevan, on the 12th foundation day of the ministry on Friday, said experimental block-level agro-met advisory services have started for 200 blocks and at present, around 40 million farmers receive agromet advisories on their cellphones.N Chattopadhyay, head of the agricultural meteorology division at IMD, told TOI that some blocks from the four states were chosen and over 300 blocks are expected to be covered soon."Using observations from automatic weather stations and high-resolution forecasts for consequent five-day period, crop-state and stage advisories will be prepared for these blocks. By 2020, we aim to cover the maximum number of blocks in the country," Chattopadhyay said.Plans are afoot to integrate the IMD's 26 doppler radars with the cellphone numbers of farmers so that they can get information on upcoming extreme weather events within minutes."This will help them take precautions in time. Once this happens, for example, grape farmers in a block can cover the vineyards with nets when hail is expected," Chattopadhyay added.

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