Govt launches centre for crop forecast, drought assessment

NEW DELHI: The government today launched an integrated centre which will provide estimates of agricultural output and assess the drought situation in the country through latest technologies.

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar launched the National Crop Forecast Centre ( NCFC), which will prepare in-season forecasts for selected 11 major crops such as rice, wheat, sugarcane and maize.

The centre, in collaboration with ISRO, will also work towards preparing sub-district level drought assessment in the entire country, an official release said.

The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation prepares advance estimates of crop output through various technologies like remote sensing and geographic information system ( GIS).

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) through its programme the National Agriculture Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS) provides data on drought assessment in various states during the monsoon season.

The centre will help in integrating data from these sources and would also provide production forecasts of more crops.

It will coordinate the use of Geomatics in cropping system, horticulture, soil and its health and estimation of damage due to natural calamities.