ICAR's agro-advisory to help farmers in pre-kharif season

As the lockdown continues with fast approaching kharif season, the government's research body ICAR on Tuesday unveiled an agro-advisory for farmers to cope with challenges like labour shortage and availability of timely crop inputs in pre-kharif period.

Sowing of kharif crops like rice has already begun in several parts of the country. But, the pace of planting is expected to pick up with the onset of southwest monsoon from June. The Met Department has forecast normal rainfall this year.

"This kharif season comes in the aftermath of lockdown due to COVID-19 and therefore disruption in normal operation/logistics usually undertaken during the pre-kharif period is likely," Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) said in its e-booklet on agro-advisory.

 

To cope with labour shortage and timely availability of inputs at affordable prices, ICAR said farmers need to enhance the use of on-farm inputs especially organic manures, adopt best practice for increasing resource use efficiency and reduce cost of cultivation.

In view of this, ICAR has prepared agro-advisories for farmers for the early part of kharif season across the country in all 29 states covering major crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries.

The agro-advisory and its regional translations have been organised for respective states, ICAR said.

The crop, livestock and fisheries advisories mainly deal with best practices to be adopted by farmers during the ensuing summer period and kharif season. The technical aspects covered in the advisories are related to seed, soil, water, nutrient and health management in crops and livestock enterprises, it added.

The country received about 75 per cent of rainfall during the southwest monsoon period of June-September. Rainfed agriculture occupies 51 per cent of the country's net sown area and accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the total food production.

Major field crops cultivated in kharif season include cereals (paddy, maize, millets), oilseeds (groundnut, soybean, sesame) and pulses (blackgram, greengram, pigeonpea, moth bean, cluster bean and horsegram). Commercial crops like cotton, sugarcane, spices, vegetables and fruits are also grown.