The Hindu Business Line : DST uses remote sensing to estimate crop output data

New Delhi, July 30 The Department of Science and Technology is trying to estimatethe total crop production in the country using remote sensing technology over the next six months. The DST has worked out an algorithm using various inputs like rainfall, moisture content in soil and plant properties to arrive at crop estimates. If the project is successful, the data would available much faster than the present methodology being used by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO).

The crop production estimates are arrived at by the crop cutting experiments of sample areas by the NSSO, with inputs from Department of Agriculture.

“The pilot project, carried out for Haryana, for crops like mustard, wheat, cotton and paddy, has been successful,” said Mr Kapil Sibal, Minister for Science and Technology, in a press conference here today.

Using the newly developed model, the DST arrived at the production estimates for Haryana for 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and compared it with the NSSO data for validation.

The data for 2005-06, which had a variation with the NSSO crop production data, happened to be closer to procurement data of the Haryana . “The Haryana Government officials were also saying that they had been unable to meet their procurement targets for 2005-06, given the production estimates of NSSO. Incidentally, according to DST, the production in Haryana in 2005-06 was lower due to excess heat,” said Mr Sibal.

Now, the StateGovernment has sought weekly reports from the DST that can show soil moisture content, rainfall, sowing and the extent of green-cover for each village.