A large section of paddy field located somewhere in Nagaland. (Morung File Photo)
Dimapur, May 25 (MExN): All the District Agriculture Officers & Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officers along with their officers, field staff and ATMA personnel have been directed to remain in their respective place of posting positively at this point of the cropping season. This was directed in a notice issued by the Department of Agriculture, Nagaland on May 25.
It informed that last year, most of the crops reportedly failed due to erratic weather conditions, attacked by insect-pests and diseases etc. It therefore, asked all concerned to be vigilant for real time assessment and monitoring of crop situation, pests situation or any natural calamity halmening in the farmer’s field and submit timely reports and documentation through groups WhatSApp to the Directorate for further intervention.
Further, the authority instructed all to conduct Farmer’s Training and Awareness Campaign on management of all agriculture activities besides on natural calamity. Also to perform scouting on Fall Army Worm (FAW) in maize crop, surveillance and monitoring of other insect-pests and disease incidence on all crops above economic threshold level (ETL) by involving KVK and ATMA personnel on a regular basis. The department also directed all concerned to convey Farmer’s Advisory through Field Staff and ATMA Farmer’s Friends to the farming communities.
For, hill agriculture -Jhum/shifting cultivation, the department advised staggered log bunding across the slope to check run-off water in case of heavy rainfall; survey and identify areas for gully plucking with locally available materials to check nallah formation; crop lodged should be stacked or bind together in bundle; and short duration crops distributed by the Department such as Maize, Pulses & Oilseeds can be sown up to 3rd week of June.
For terrace rice cultivation/WRC (Pani Kheti), the department suggested staggered sowing (2 weeks apart) in nursery bed to cope with climate unpredictability; prepare side drain around nursery beds against flash flood and wash-off; as far as possible use young seedlings for better yield; early field preparation for TRC/WR; and adoption of direct-seeding.
