India Meteorological Department (IMD) to install agro-automatic weather stations at 200 districts across country.
The Minister of State with Independent Charge for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, announced on Tuesday that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has begun installing agro-automatic weather stations (AWS) at 200 districts agromet units (DAMUs) at KVKs (Krishi Vigyan Kendras) throughout the country.
In response to a question in Rajya Sabha, Singh stated that these agro-automatic weather stations will be used to supplement block-level agromet advisory services under the Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS), which is being implemented in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State Agricultural Universities.
Currently, over 4.3 crore farmers across the country receive agromet alerts via SMS, according to him. These agromet advisories assist farmers in making day-to-day agricultural decisions, allowing them to better optimize the application of input resources at the farm level during dry spells and extreme weather events, reducing monetary losses and increasing crop production.
According to the Minister, the GKMS scheme is a step toward weather-based crop and livestock management policies and operations for the benefit of the country’s farming sector. It’s the first step toward weather-based crop and livestock management strategies and operations that will help the country’s farmers.
The scheme generates medium-range weather forecasts at the district and block levels. Agromet Advisories are generated and delivered to farmers every Tuesday and Friday by Agromet Field Units (AMFUs) co-located with State Agricultural Universities, and DAMUs at KVKs, based on the prediction.
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Farmers are informed of Agromet Advisories through a variety of channels, including print and electronic media, radio, the internet, and SMS via the Agriculture Ministry’s Kisan Portal, as well as private enterprises operating under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
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