31st May, 2019, Guntur
The ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) organized a State Level Interface Meeting on “Enhancing the Preparedness for Agriculture Contingencies during Kharif - 2019: for Andhra Pradesh State at the Directorate of Agriculture, Guntur today.
The meeting was jointly organized by the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare (DAC&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare; Department of Agriculture, Government of Andhra Pradesh and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU).
Shri B. Rajasekhar, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Government of Andhra Pradesh highlighted the need for the preparedness, especially in Rayalaseema and Prakasam Districts keeping in mind the forecast and also for developing the concrete plan instead of contingency plan in the chronically drought hit districts/mandals. Shri Rajasekhar stressed upon sensitizing the farmers about the preparedness for coping with the weather aberrations. He also emphasized on creating the awareness among the stakeholders about the climate change and the new research initiatives to be taken by ANGRAU and Dr. YSRHU.
Shri Muralidhar Reddy, Special Commissioner, Department of Agriculture, Government of Andhra Pradesh stressed on improving the preparedness for tackling the mid-season and end of season droughts on large scale.
Dr. G. Ravindra Chary, Director-in-charge, ICAR-CRIDA highlighted the main purpose and need of the interface meetings in various states that are likely to experience either the deficit rainfall or the excess rainfall and the lead taken by the ICAR-CRIDA and DACFW for preparedness to cope with these weather aberrations, based on the district agriculture contingency plans prepared by ICAR-CRIDA in coordination with the State Agriculture Departments and allied departments.
The JDAs of all the 13 districts proposed the targets for the preparedness in terms of positioning the inputs (seeds etc), farm implements, etc.
The major Recommendations are:
- To encourage the cultivation of short duration crops like Horsegram, Cow Pea, Fodder Jowar, Blackgram, Greengram, Jowar, Maize, Minor Millets, etc. in Rayalaseema Districts.
- To encourage the farmers to go for the direct sowing of paddy for saving the water, time and labor in the areas where Paddy is necessarily to be grown.
- Buffer seed stocks of contingent crops are made available through the Mandal sale outlets of APSSDC on subsidy.
- To discourage the Cotton Crop in the low productive light soils during the Kharif - 2019 and restrict the crop to Black soils by the promotion of Alternate crops (Pulses, Oilseeds & Millets).
- To demonstrate the castor as the contingent crop instead of red gram in large plots where bi-modal rainfall is prevailing.
- To position the sufficient rain guns, oil engines, water carrying pipes, sprinklers at Mandal level in the state for the need based utilization by the farmers.
- To sow the pulses in the last week of September in high rainfall north coastal districts.
(Source: ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, NRM Division)
Like on Facebook
Subscribe on Youtube
Follow on X X
Like on instagram