As the dry spell continued in most parts of the Valley, the Agricultural experts on Thursday stressed on the need to come up with a contingency plan for the farmers while the government stated that there will be no impact on the Agricultural land.
Dr Parvez Ahmad Sofi, Faculty of Agriculture, SKUAST-K told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the precipitation during the month of November and December is pivotal for the agricultural land as the rains or snowfall at this time is a sustained source of moisture for upcoming crops.
He further said that the present dry spell is impacting the Kharib crops.
However, he said that amid dry weather situation, there is a need for a contingency plan having a diversified system so that the farmers would be able to make decisions about the crops according to the weather conditions.
The expert also said that the farmers should start moisture conservative practices for the wellbeing of crops.
However, Director Agriculture, Kashmir, Choudhary Muhammad Iqbal when contacted said that there is no impact on the agri land due to the present weather conditions.
He added that the winter season, especially the 40-day harshest winter period, Chila-i-kalan is yet to arrive and the precipitation during the period will sustain for a longer time and help the farmers to yield their crops.
Deputy Director, Meteorological department (MeT) also echoed the similar views and informed that as per the forecast, the weather would remain mostly dry till December 25—(KNO)