Kolkata: The state Agriculture department has advised the farmers to cut off and lift Aman paddy from agricultural land, if it is 80 per cent ripe and store it at a secured place to protect it from rain.
The advisory came in the backdrop of an alert of rainfall in the coastal areas of South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas and East Midnapore as well as in West Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly and East Burdwan districts from October 16-18 and also on November 21.
The Agriculture department has suggested the use of combined harvester machine available at the custom hiring centres across the state for quick cutting of paddy.
The department has advised pushing the scheduled sowing of potato by at least a week and wait for improvement in weather conditions. The farmers have been asked not to use fertilisers or pesticides in the current circumstances with the possibility of the same getting washed away by rain. In case potato seeds are already sown, the farmers have been directed to make arrangements for prompt drainage of accumulated water from agricultural land.
The advisory further directs repair of protecting infrastructure for betel leaves and vegetables so that it does not get damaged due to thunderstorms that also predicted along with rainfall.
With chances of crop damage from certain diseases after receding of water from agricultural land, the farmers have been prescribed spraying of chemicals in the right proportion to safeguard crops.
“The farmers have no reasons to panic and if they act as per advisory then damage to crops can be minimised with rainfall alert,” a senior official of state Agriculture department said.