The Horticulture Department has reached out to cultivators of vegetable, fruit, and tree crops with guidance on safeguard measures to be carried out during the rainy spell.
Those raising crops in greenhouses were advised to firmly connect the base to the ground with wires, and to keep the doors and windows closed. Protruding branches of trees must be chopped. Likewise, the base of shadenets must also be fixed firmly with the ground with connecting wires.
In banana plantations, the trees must be provided with support of eucalyptus poles, and the ground must be cleared of clogs for passage of run-off water. The department called upon farmers to harvest the bananas that were more than 75% ripe.
Dead branches of crops like mango, jackfruit, guava, and lemon, must be chopped off, and the soil must be piled to the trunk. Pesticides should be sprayed on the roots. The farmers who had not insured their crops were advised to apply immediately for Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme, the department emphasised.
Likewise, the Animal Husbandry Department has advised cattle-breeders to avoid letting out the animals in the open for grazing, particularly at times of thunder and lightning.
The farmers have to make sure the cattle do not venture towards locations where high voltage lines pass through, and must desist from tether them to electric poles or transformers. Cattle in water-logged locations must be shifted to higher ground.
Proper hygiene of the cattle shed must be maintained and clean water and feed have to be provided, the guidelines state.