Climate change, rising costs: Maharashtra govt orders study on crop expenditure

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne on Tuesday directed the four agricultural universities in the state to conduct a detailed study of crop patterns and submit reports to help determine the actual cost of crop production in view of changing climate conditions.

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne on Tuesday directed the four agricultural universities in the state to conduct a detailed study of crop patterns and submit reports to help determine the actual cost of crop production in view of changing climate conditions. Bharne issued the directions at a meeting of the State Agricultural Prices Commission here, saying that fluctuating weather and uncertain rainfall are significantly affecting farm output and input costs, an official release issued here said. He asked agricultural universities at Rahuri (Ahilyanagar district), Akola, Parbhani and Dapoli (Ratnagiri district) to study major crops in their respective regions. The reports should factor in rising labour costs, additional spending on pesticides due to pest and disease attacks, and reduced productivity caused by natural disasters. The minister noted that the State Agricultural Prices Commission determines fair prices and production costs of agricultural produce, but climate change has led to major variations in seeds, fertilisers, labour and yield. Bharne also said the government is positive about filling vacant posts in the commission to speed up its functioning. Proposals related to vehicles, training of officials and staff, and providing laptops and tablets will be considered. He further directed officials to submit a proposal to MahaIT for launching a dedicated website for the commission and to create a system for training personnel to collect crop cost data.