The administration in Maharashtra's Nagpur district has recommended farmers to refrain from spraying and applying pesticides and fertilizers. This advisory comes in light of the weather department's forecast predicting rains in the region over the next two to three days, as reported on Tuesday.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Nagpur has forecast very light to light rainfall for isolated places in the district from Tuesday to Thursday and light to moderate showers in some parts on Wednesday.
The RMC has forecasted partly to mainly cloudy weather for the next five days, according to the official. As per the RMC's release, maximum temperatures in Vidarbha are expected to decrease by 2-3 degrees Celsius in the next two days and subsequently rise by 2-4 degrees Celsius.
The agriculture and weather departments have advised farmers to continue harvesting and threshing matured paddy, and if the threshing is not possible, to store the harvested produce at an elevated space and cover it with a plastic sheet or tarpaulin, he said.
Farmers can continue picking cotton and use cotton bags instead of gunny or plastic bags to pick and store to avoid contamination of the lint, the official said, adding that markets and traders have been asked not to store the produce in open spaces amid rain.