Spelling out key challenges for the farm sector, President Pratibha Patil on Monday has called for developing “state-specific agriculture strategies” and a “climate literacy programme” for the farmers so that they can use the monsoon more appropriately.

Explaining why she had chosen an agricultural function for her first public appearance after becoming the president, Ms Patil quoted the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru: “The reason is everything can wait but not agriculture,” she said. The President said if the farmers are given training on climate issues, they can “maximise the benefits of a good monsoon and minimise the hazards of a poor monsoon.”

The importance of climate literacy in farming was underscored by eminent crop scientist Dr M S Swaminathan. The farmers in the flooded plains of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh should now plant sweet potato and short duration crops like sathi maize, he said, adding that National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) is making an operational plan for eastern India farmers.

“The other priority for agricultural revival includes bridging the substantial yield gap existing in all states. This requires localised state-specific strategies based on local agro-climatic conditions and constraints,” she told a NAAS meeting here. The President pointed out the need to have a “knowledge centre” in every village panchayats so that the farmers receive updated information on farming practices through radio, television and information technology medium.

To fulfil the task, she asked the scientists to partner with the farmers for developing new technologies as they will be the end users.

Ms Patil did not miss out the women as she suggested making the agriculture to become “pro-poor”, “pro-nature” and “pro-women” activity. She said that the big leap in the national milk production can be credited to the toil and labour put in by nearly 75 million women who are involved in the care of cows and buffaloes.