Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government has engaged its Science and Technology and Biotechnology Department to identify possible areas to grow a second crop in the mono-crop agricultural land that turns almost fallow after the kharif season.
Out of a total 52.5 lakh hectare cultivable land (net crop area) in Bengal, at least 13 lakh hectare in 12 districts is mono-crop where mainly paddy is grown in kharif with sufficient supply of water during the monsoon.
But the area remains uncultivable in the remaining time of the year after the kharif paddy is harvested.
Now, the move to identify the rice fallow area has been taken up to ensure further economic growth of the region by helping farmers produce multiple crops in a year.
The state Agriculture department is the nodal body to carry out the entire scheme and has provided various data on crop patterns of the past few years to the Science and Technology and Biotechnology department.
The latter is preparing the base of the project by developing a map by collecting satellite images through the process of "remote sensing".
With the advancement in technology, scientists will be measuring the moisture level of the soil mainly when the 13 lakh hectare mono-crop cultivable land remains fallow in the period after the kharif cultivation. Based on the moisture level and other parameters, a data bank containing locations of the land where cultivation of the second crop is possible will be prepared.
"The entire study will be conducted with the help of satellite images without any ground-level physical intervention. It will be inconvenient to carry out the study in
cloudy seasons as it is not possible to get clear images. So it will take at least one-and-a-half-years," said a senior officer of the Science and Technology and Biotechnology department.
The experts from the state Agriculture department will decide on the type of crops to be grown at the possible areas after receiving the detailed report from the Science and Technology and Biotechnology department.
"Farmers will be encouraged to grow pulses and oilseeds as winter crops at these identified areas after paddy cultivation in monsoon.
"Paddy cultivation as the second crop in these areas would not seem possible due to lack of sufficient moisture in the soil of these mono-crop lands. Stress on irrigation facilities in these areas would be given emphasis," said an officer of the state Agriculture department.
Seven researchers under one senior scientist as the nodal officer are working on the project in 12 districts, including Birbhum, West Burdwan, some parts of East Burdwan, Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram and a few districts in North Bengal.