Perfect weather forecasting can boost agro income by 31-36%
The weather forecasting-based agricultural advisory will help add 0.17 million tonnes of paddy to the national food basket every year
By applying agricultural advisory services based on weather forecasting, income from the agriculture sector can be boosted by 31-36 % through increasing the yields and reducing production costs, according to the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI).
It is possible to increase yields of crops by 7-10% and reduce production cost by 15% if accurate weather forecasts can be reached at the farmer level in agricultural advisory forms, agro experts said at a webinar titled "Integrated Rice Advisory System" arranged by BRRI's Agromet & Crop Modeling Lab on Monday.
Niaz Md Farhat Rahman, the coordinator of Agromet & Crop Modelling Laboratory, presented the keynote paper at the event.
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In his presentation, Md Farhat said yields of paddy would increase by 7% if farmers properly follow the weather forecasting-based agricultural advisory in cultivating the food grain. It will also add 0.17 million tonnes of paddy to the national food basket every year.
Farmers can earn Tk51-73 with the investment of one taka if they properly follow weather forecasting-based agricultural advisory during the whole process of paddy production, he added.
At the event, agro experts said it is possible to continue sustainable production by lessening the losses of farmers through strengthening the disaster cautionary system.
According to the research of BRRI, when the temperature rises to 35° Celsius or higher during the flowering of the stalks of paddy, the crop will become sticky. Fungal infections can develop on paddy plants due to excessive heat or humidity and increased insects in the field. Salinity is increasing in lands in the coastal area due to low rainfall.
Due to climate change, every year 30-40 lakh hectares of land are being affected by drought. Moreover, every year paddy in thousands of acres of land is being destroyed due to sudden floods. If farmers could be alerted with weather forecasts it will be possible to reduce losses to farmers.
BRRI Director General Md Shahjahan Kabir said 60% production of paddy depends on proper management. Farmers will benefit from paddy cultivation if weather-related forecasts and advice prepared by the BRRI's Agromet Lab are disseminated through field level officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension.
It will also help increase the yield of paddy and overall production of the key staple, he added.
