Kolhapur: As many as 110 agromet weather stations in India have been proposed to close by March-end, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Agricultural weather stations were set up in every district to provide accurate weather forecasts to farmers. These centers are currently operational in Nagpur, Palghar, Nandurbar, Solapur, Osmanabad, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Buldhana, Amravati, and Washim districts. Within five years, the department will also be forced to close the regional weather station in Kolhapur.
These weather stations serve as a guide for millions of farmers. If the central government approves the proposal, farmers will be worried about how they will get the official weather forecast from now on. In a public notice issued by the Meteorological Department, the district agricultural meteorological center will not function after the financial year 2023-24. The notice suggests that the existing 119 centers should be closed before March 1, 2023.
Farmers have also been informed about the notices issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) regarding the closure of these centers and have started asking how they will get information from now on. However, the officials at the center do not have an answer to this question at present and they are avoiding the questions of the farmers.
Agricultural advice to close
Through these centers, weather forecasts and agro-advisories were issued every Tuesday and Friday. Earlier, he had also advised farmers about rain. This averted the loss of many. Farmers used to reach out directly to these centers to ask small questions about the weather, which will now be closed.