An interface meet on monsoon preparedness and contingency planning 2015 was organized at ICAR-Indian Indian Institute of Water Management, Bhubaneswar on 8th June, 2015 under the chairmanship of Dr. S.K. Ambast, Director, ICAR-IIWM, Bhubaneswar. The purpose of the meeting was to sensitize the primary stakeholders with upto-date rainfall situation, latest monsoon rainfall forecasting and to prepare contingency plan keeping in view the monsoon break and other weather aberrations such as dry spell, drought, flood, waterlogging, cyclone for Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
At the outset Dr. S.K. Ambast, Director, ICAR-IIWM, Bhubaneswar welcomed the participating farmers and panelists and apprised about the research programmes being carried out by the institute. He urged the farmers to adopt scientific methods to develop climate resilient agriculture and for increasing agriculture production, keeping in view the changing scenario of climate and monsoon break. On the occasion scientists of the institute appraised the status of monsoon situation for Orissa and Chhattisgarh and presented various technology options to cope up with drought-dry spell and flood at different stages of crop growth.
District wise contingency plan like use short duration varieties of rice, crop diversification in case of prevalence of early or mid season droughts, practice of soil and water conservation measures like ridge and furrow, contour farming, contour bunding, foliar sprays of fertilizer, efficient use of harvested water during monsoon break or dry spells, water management under excess water situation were discussed with the farmers. In the interface meet farmers enthusiastically interacted with the scientists of ICAR-IIWM in which various issues of crop production, seed production and availability, input management and scientific methods of soil and water conservation were discussed. Forty farmers from different districts of Odisha participated in the interface meet. Dr Gouranga Kar and Dr S.Roy Chowdhury, Principal scientists of the institute organized the interface meet.