Due to the delayed arrival of the monsoon this year, farmers in Thane district are required to postpone the commencement of Kharif sowing.
District Superintendent Agriculture Officer Rameshwar Pache has directed that sowing should not begin until the district records at least 100 mm of rainfall.
In addition, the Agriculture Department has advised farmers to adhere to the weather-based agricultural guidelines issued by Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth.
Due to the delayed onset of rainfall, the Agriculture Department has formulated an emergency crop management strategy. Farmers are being urged to use mat-type nurseries for paddy transplantation or to adopt the Rahu method for paddy sowing.
The department has also advised the cultivation of early-maturing varieties like Karjat-3 and Ratnagiri-5, as well as the semi-late variety Karjat-5.
If there is an extended dry period, when paddy seedlings in the nursery are 15–20 days old, farmers should apply a 1 per cent urea solution by spraying it in the morning or evening.
They are also advised to supply protective irrigation to the seedlings using any accessible water sources, including rivers, streams, and wells, and to carry out appropriate weed control measures.
The Agriculture Department has advised that if rainfall stays insufficient during the paddy transplanting period, farmers should place five to six seedlings at each planting point when replanting.
If the lack of rainfall persists during the crop growth stage, they should undertake intercultural operations, weed management, and crop protection activities, and provide irrigation wherever necessary.
Ahead of the Kharif season, the Agriculture Department has so far conducted 3,903 awareness programmes. These include 460 sessions under El Niño awareness initiatives and 114 programmes focused on protecting orchards during drought-like conditions.
Through these activities, farmers are being encouraged to implement practices such as mulching, protective irrigation, and climate-resilient farming technologies.
The department has advised farmers to organize their agricultural activities in line with weather forecasts and accordingly take future farming decisions.
Due to the delay in paddy sowing, the Agriculture Department is promoting paddy cultivation through the Tokan method and the SRT (System of Rice Transplanting) method, using raised nursery beds at the field level.
To support farmers, the department will distribute 500 Tokan sowing machines under the District Council cess subsidy scheme to encourage paddy cultivation using the Tokan method.