Weather-based farm advisory system to reach taluks now

Five taluks in State chosen for implementing pilot scheme

VIJAYAWADA, 19/07/2010: An agricultural labourer at work uses mobile phone to stay in touch with his near and dear ones, at Vuyyuru in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. India is the second largest mobile phone market in the world after China with 618 million mobile phone subscribers by the end of May. The figure is expected to reach 660 million by the end of 2010 and touch 993 million by 2014. PHOTO: CH.VIJAYA BHASKAR.

The country’s flagship programme of the weather forecast-based agricultural advisory system is set to become more focussed by moving to the taluk level from the present district level for greater accuracy and efficiency. To begin with, the system will be implemented on a pilot basis in 100 taluks chosen from different States, of which five are from Karnataka.

Disclosing this to The Hindu on the sidelines of a regional review meeting of the weather forecast-based agricultural advisory system ( Gramin Krishi Mousam Sewa ), at the campus of the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru on Thursday, Deputy Director-General of Meteorology N. Chattopadhyay said the pilot project would commence in about six months from now.

While the weather forecast for taluk level is already available, the data related to its interpretation and farm advisory system is being put in place, he said. Based on the performance of the pilot scheme, the system will be extended to all the 6,650 taluks in the country, the scientist said, while making it clear that the ultimate goal is to treat villages as primary units when there is adequate technical infrastructure.

The weather forecast-based advisory system was launched about three years ago on a low-key basis, with only 500 farmers opting for its services. In the system, the registered farmers will get two advisories a week in the form of SMSes on their mobile phones on the dos and don’ts on farming operations based on the weather forecast. While each SMS costs around 75 paise, the Centre bears the entire cost of the system. He said the popularity of the scheme has now increased, with 1.5 crore farmers registering for the services. In fact, 3,000 farmers had joined the scheme in the last fortnight itself, he noted. He said the main reason for the rise in enrolment was the benefit in the form of increased farm incomes.

Based on the performance of the pilot scheme, the system will be extended to all the 6,650 taluks in the country.

N. Chattopadhyay,

Deputy Director-General of Meteorology