From mitigating water stagnation in the rain-hit Northeastern States like Arunachal Pradesh and Karnataka and Goa to protecting fruit orchards from hail damage in Telangana and ensuring light, frequent irrigation to mitigate heat stress in Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, East Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued tailored warnings to farmers of different regions in the country.
The IMD advisory is for the next five days to help farmers mitigate as well as combat the adverse effects of weather conditions on their crops and maximise agricultural productivity. Climate change induced erratic weather threat looms large on the country’s agriculture and its allied sectors which is the largest source of livelihood in India. Low yields can hit the rural economy and push inflation in urban areas as well, say experts.
Farmers in Telangana have been suggested to install hail nets or hail caps in fruit orchards to prevent mechanical damage. “Provide mechanical support to horticultural crops and stake vegetables,” said the IMD circular issued on Monday. Light to moderate rains or thundershowers will be experienced in the next three days till April 24, post which the dry weather will prevail in the State. IMD has issued yellow alerts for various districts of Telangana, predicting thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and gusty winds of around 30-40 kmph in these places.
Similarly, farmers in North Eastern States (e.g., Arunachal Pradesh) have been asked to drain out excess water from crop fields to prevent water stagnation.
The farmers have also been suggested to postpone sowing of major crop maize and cowpea due to excessive moisture. (April 23)
Heavy to very heavy rainfall or snowfall will continue in isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh; heavy rains may lash Assam and Meghalaya, as per the IMD alert issued for Tuesday while scattered rain or snow with thunderstorms is predicted over Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
There will be isolated rain with thunderstorms over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Konkan, Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Vidharbha, Chhattisgarh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal and Karnataka, as per the MET Department.
In Karnataka and Goa, farmers have been directed to make arrangements to drain excess water from crop fields to prevent water stagnation and also store harvested produce in safer places to avoid damage.
Farmers from Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, North Interior Karnataka, South Interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema, Nagaland, and Manipur have been alerted to provide mechanical support to horticultural crops and stake vegetables to prevent further damage while those from Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, East Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, have been suggested to apply light and frequent irrigation to standing crops to tackle with heat stress.
These states are already reeling under intense heat waves and the temperature is likely to further soar in these States to touch as high as 45 degree centigrade. Currently, temperature has already crossed 40 degree centigrade.
The farmers in these States reporting searing heat have been asked to use mulching techniques to conserve soil moisture and reduce evaporation. “Apply mulching to conserve soil moisture effectively. “Each measure is designed to empower farmers and stakeholders with the knowledge and tools needed to safeguard their livelihoods and optimise agricultural productivity,” said an official from the IMD.
