Consultation on climate change held
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, June 25 2015 :
A one day consultation programme on "Climate Change And Its Impact on Agriculture" was held at Manipur Press Club, Majorkhul on Thursday.
It was jointly organised by the North East Dialogue Forum (NEDF), Samaritan Resource Centre (SAC), New Life Foundation (NLF), Applied Bio-Tech Farmer Club (ABTEC), Village Women Coordinating Committee (VWCOC) .
Giving the keynote address Rebati Raman said "every year cultivators experience scanty rainfall which directly affects the agricultural production.
With over 2300000 hectares of cultivable land in the state, 195000 hectares of land are used for rice cultivation.
All these cultivable land and cultivators are directly depending on monsoon rain.
As per the record from the agriculture department that in last year, the rain water was 280.20 mm in the month of June and now the rain water is 45.04 mm in the month of May, this year.
This year due to lack of rainfall cultivators and the rest of the population will have a serious food crisis across the state" .
He further added that "Initiatives should be taken up by Govt to facilitate the farmers and for the development of agriculture in the state by tabling a bill in the coming Assembly session" .
In the Programme Prof M Dhaneshwor said that "Climate change is the prime factor for late rainfall in the state.
On the other hand, Manipur's agriculture depende on monsoon, no perennial sources is there.
Therefore we should preserve the forest in order to maintain the ecology of the state.
And for this people should be accountable other than blaming the government for not taking initiatives" .
The programme was concluded with 6 charters of demand such as to stop construction of new Mega Dams in Manipur, instead, the existing dams need to be maintained carefully and fulfil the purpose of the dams, to introduce the short term crop as an alternative, which can easily harvest within 2/3 month to all the cultivators, to formulate a long term sustainable policy to address the imminent climate change crisis.
It was attended by Rebati Raman member of NEDF, Renubala Secretary of VMCOC and Prof M.Dhaneshwor HOD of Animal Science And Husbandry, CAU as president members respectively.