Farm weather service can lead to benefits of Rs 3 lakh crore a year: IMD

93% of Indian farmers find Met forecasts reliable, shows NCAER survey

The Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD’s) weather forecasts are found to be reliable by 93 per cent of Indian farmers, shows a survey conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).

Also, marine weather forecasting led to savings of Rs 36,200 crore worth of diesel a year, IMD said at an event in New Delhi on Thursday to disclose the findings of the NCAER survey.

Speaking on the occasion, IMD Director-General  Laxman Singh Rathore said "Temperature might start rising from now onwards; intense cold is not likely to return anytime soon."

Once all farmers across the country were covered, IMD said, the farm weather service would have the potential to generate economic benefits of over Rs 3 lakh crore a year, it added. Till now, 24 per cent of all farmers have been covered through Agromet and marine weather services.

According to the survey, 95 per cent of farmers agree that IMD’s weather services have improved in the past 2-4 years.

NCAER had conducted this survey for IMD on economic benefits of agriculture and marine weather services from 2010 to 2015.