Lok Sabha Question No. 6361 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-12
Subject: Agro-Meteorology Services
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: GOPAL CHINAYYA SHETTY, ANTO  ANTONY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 6361

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017

## AGRO-METEOROLOGY SERVICES

## 6361. SHRI GOPAL SHETTY: SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is implementing any scheme called the AgroMeteorological Advisory Services (AMAS);
- (b) if so, the details thereof including its objectives and salient features;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  any  record  regarding  the  districts  in Kerala covered under AMAS and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to enhance the coverage of AMAS;
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the steps being taken by the Government in this regard;
- (f) the capacity of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to meet the agricultural meteorology information; and
- (g) the action taken by the Government for modernization and development  of  equipments  in  IMD  for  broadcasting  actual  and  area specific agricultural meteorology information at the district level ?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND

MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

(SHRI Y. S. CHOWDARY)

- (a) Yes Madam. India Meteorological Department (IMD), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is implementing Agrometeorological Advisory Services (AAS) under the scheme 'Gramin Krishi Mausam Seva (GKMS)' in the Country.
- (b) GKMS of IMD is rendered twice a week to farmers in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), Institutions of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), IITs etc. District level weather forecast for next 5-days in respect of:
-  Rainfall
- maximum temperature, minimum temperature
- 
- wind speed, wind direction
- 
-  relative humidity and clouds
-  weekly cumulative rainfall forecast
-  Crop specific advisories

are provided to farmers. GKMS of IMD has been successful in providing crop specific advisories to farmers through different print/visual/Radio/ IT based media including short message service (SMS) and Interactive Voice  Response  Service  (IVRS)  facilitating  for  appropriate  field  level actions.  Weather  forecast  based  agrometeorological  advisories  are disseminated through Kisan portal launched by Ministry of Agriculture and also under public private partner.

- (c) Yes Madam. All the districts  of  Kerala  have  been  covered  under  the scheme. Details of the districts in Kerala covered under the scheme is given in Annexure-I
- (d-e)    Yes  Madam.  Presently  IMD  is  providing  Agromet  services  to  farming community at  District  level.  Research  efforts  are  initiated  by  IMD  to explore possibility of generating sub district scale Agrometeorological forecast with acceptable level of verification skill in a pilot mode.
- (f) There  is  mechanism  for  dissemination  of  Agromet  Advisories  through multi-mode  communication  channels  including  mass  and  electronic media  and  also  through  SMS  and  IVR  (Interactive  Voice  Response Technology)  through  Kisan  Portal  launched  by  Ministry  of  Agriculture, Govt. of India as well as private companies under PPP mode. At present 21.16  million  farmers  are  receiving  the  information  through  SMS  on regular basis.
- (g) Under modernization plan, IMD has installed 550 AWS and 127 Agro-AWS throughout  the  country,  so  that  the  observational  network  would  be strengthened.  These  AWS  data  would  be  useful  in  generating  high resolution  weather forecast .At present the scheme is implemented at district level covering 636 districts in the country.

## Districts of Kerala covered under GKMS

| District for which AAS bulletins made   | Agro Meteorological Field Unit (AMFU)   |   No. of Farmers receiving Agromet Advisory through SMS |
|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| Wayanad Idukki                          | Ambalavayal                             |                                                   72048 |
| Allepy Kottayam                         | Kumarakom                               |                                                   56120 |
| Malappuram Kozhikode Kannur             | Pillicode                               |                                                  240408 |
| Palakkad Thrissur Ernakulam             | Trissur (Vellanikara)                   |                                                   76644 |
| Thiruvanathpuram Kollam Pattanamthitta  | Vellayani                               |                                                   74837 |

## Annexure-I