MP farmers left to guesswork on frost

Despite the rising likelihood of crop-killing frost conditions round the corner, the state government’s agriculture department says it has no way of confirming this. And, officials at the district-level say they’ve idea of what to tell farmers for prevention.

Last year, frost claimed almost the entire tur (pigeon pea) crop, leaving multitudes of growers in despair. Earlier this year, the rabi crop in a number of districts was hit by frost -- and the kharif crop by heavy rain. And, there have been alarming reports from more than one district recently of farmers committing suicide due to a mix of debt and crop failure.

Yet, says the agriculture department, the information it gets from the weather department leaves a lot to be desired. “We don’t receive timely information. Newspapers and radios are the only source to know about weather conditions. The Krishi Vigyan Kendras (run by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and meant to transfer knowhow to farmers) help to a certain extent,” an official told Business Standard.

Said a senior scientist from a Krishi Vigyan Kendra, on condition of anonymity, “We collect data through satellite but we do not disseminate information on a daily basis. We pass the information to the agriculture department, to use on a need-to-know basis.

However, we have recently started an SMS facility for farmers twice a week, to broadcast weather information.”For now, the weather office says it sees no need for a warning signal. “The weather will remain normal this year,” said a senior official in the department here. For now, farmers have a standing advice from the agriculture department for keep9ing frost away, to irrigate and create smoke near the bunds of fields by burning waste. Frost, incidentally, does not rank as a naturasl calamity meriting compensation in case of crop damage.