June 28, 2014
WB Govt launches crop calendar for farmers
Farmers in West Bengal now have acomprehensive guide for cultivation thanks to a Crop Calendar that will givethem information regarding cropping practices. An initiative of the state government, the calendar has been drawn up byexperts and gives out information on planting, sowing and harvesting periods ofcrops in specific agro-ecological zones.
The crop calendar is a comprehensive guidefor farmers. From sowing to harvesting, details about the quality of seeds,manure and fertilisers – the calendar will come in handy with the informationprovided. To be distributed free of cost, the government has a target ofproviding the calendars to at least 3,000 – 5,000 farmers in each block.
The calendars are not for a single season.Rather they are beneficial over a longer period of time. The literate farmers havealso been instructed to help out illiterate farmers about the contents of thecalendar.
The crop calendars also provide forrehabilitation of farming systems after natural calamities like flood andeffective use of irrigation techniques lessening a farmer`s dependency on theweather. The calendars also carry information about monthly weather patterns,pesticides as well as various governmental schemes for farmers.
The calendar also serves the purpose of anastronomical almanac providing details of auspicious times for rituals,festivals and celebrations.
