UAS-Dharwad gets India's first agromet forecast centre

Union Minister for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, Environment Dr Harsha Vardhan inaugurated the North Karnataka Agromet Forecasting and Research Centre (NKAFC), the first of its kind in India on the UAS premises here on Thursday.

The centre has been established by the union ministry of earth sciences and the India Metrological Department, in association with the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS).

After inaugurating the centre, the minister said it would give timely information on weather to the farmers.

Climate change, global warming, untimely rains and the like have been a major hurdle to farmers in getting a good yield. In the recent past, the farmers, particularly in North Karnataka, are facing the wrath of nature and drought had become a regular affair in the region. During monsoon, gusty winds and powerful lightning are causing large-scale destruction to crops, livestock and also many people are struck by lightning.

The centre would help contain such vagaries and provide accurate information on weather.

The ministry has decided to set up similar centres at other agriculture varsities in the state, including the UAS Bengaluru, UAS Raichur, University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot and University of Agricultural & Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga.

A total of 25 lakh farmers in the region would get information on various platforms including SMS, Whatsapp, social networking sites and community radio stations, he added.

Through the NKAFC, information on how to manage pests when the forecast is for relative humidity, rising or falling temperatures or high/low winds; how to manage irrigation through rainfall; how to the protect crops from thermal stress when the forecast is for extreme temperature conditions will be given.

It also helps farmers anticipate and plan for chemical applications, irrigation scheduling, disease and pest outbreaks and many more weather-related agriculture-specific operations from cultivar selection to dates of sowing, planting, transplanting, intercultural operations, harvesting and post-harvest operations.