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Science & Technology Ministry launches new meteorological service for farmers

Special Correspondent

District-wise advisories to be disseminated through media

— Photo: Anu Pushkarna

Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: The agriculture productivity in the country could be in for some significant improvement, with the Union Science and Technology Ministry on Wednesday launching a new agro-meteorological advisory service, which promises to offer more precise advice to farmers.

So far, the agro-met advisory service was operating at the level of agro-climatic zones. Now, it will operate at a smaller scale. From now on, it will offer district-wise advisories.

Considerable variations

The change-over is significant considering that within the agro-climatic zones, there are not only considerable variations in the weather condition, but also variations in terms of cropping system, farm operations and soil conditions.

Launching the new system, Science and Technology Minister, Kapil Sibal, said that while the headquarters of the India Meteorological Department here would generate the necessary weather forecast up to five days using the weather models of Indian and foreign agencies, the agro met field units located in State agriculture universities, institutes of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research and other such centres would prepare the advisories.

The advisories would be disseminated to the farmers through various media, including private television channels, FM radios and NGOs at the grassroots level, apart from All India Radio, Doordarshan, newspapers, District Agriculture Offices and the web sites of IMD and SAUs.

The scope, accuracy and the outreach of the system, Mr. Sibal said, would be continuously enhanced as and when newer products, technologies and scientific inputs were available.

Boost expected

The launch of a new satellite, INSAT-3D, next year, is expected to give it a major boost.

IMD, he noted, is also in the process of setting up more automatic rain gauges, automatic weather stations and Doppler weather radars.

Once they become operational, there will be further improvement in the capability for weather forecast and consequently better advisories.

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