Worried about monsoon forecast, Maharashtra readies contingency plan

The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday chalked out a contingency plan in the wake of a revised forecast of the late arrival of the monsoon.

The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday chalked out a contingency plan in the wake of a revised forecast of the late arrival of the monsoon. Cabinet ministers have given the go-ahead to cloud seeding to ensure uninterrupted supply of water for farming in the event of monsoon failure. HT had reported that the state had issued tenders for cloud seeding as a precautionary measure in its edition on Tuesday.

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Apart from cloud seeding, the government has also decided to increase the buffer stock of seeds, and subsidy to farmers to buy these seeds.

The government is worried about the revised monsoon forecast. Sporadic rain damages crops, while a delay in monsoon forces farmers into repeated sowing.

“Farmers follow the standard tradition of sowing before the monsoon, but a delay throws their plans out of gear and leads to losses. We have decided to create awareness among farmers about the delay in rains. We have also directed the agencies to create a sufficient stock of seeds. The government will also extend the subsidy on seeds to farmers with marginal land holdings,” said Eknath Khadse, agriculture minister.

The government has also directed seed producing companies to reduce the price of BT Cotton seeds by Rs 100 for a 450gm packet. There are 104 registered seed supplying companies, which have been told to reduce the price to Rs 830 from Rs 930.

On cloud seeding, Khadse said, “It will be done in parts of Marathwada and north Maharashtra to cope with the shortfall in rainfall. The cost incurred for cloud seeding is low compared to relief packages given to farmers,” Khadse said.