NABARD, IMD sign MoU to integrate weather data with DiCRA
Mumbai, Aug 31 (TNT): The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate IMD’s agro-meteorological data products into DiCRA (Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture), an open-source digital platform supported by the UNDP and NABARD.
The partnership aims to make weather and agro-meteorological information freely accessible to farmers, financial institutions, policymakers and researchers across India, the Bank said in a release on Monday.
The MoU was signed by NABARD Chief General Manager, Department of Climate Action and Sustainability, Sanjeev D. Rohilla, and IMD Scientist-G and Head, RMC Mumbai, Bikram Singh, in the presence of NABARD Chairman Dr Shaji Krishnan V. and IMD Director General of Meteorology Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, along with senior officials of both organisations and representatives of partner organisations.
Under the agreement, IMD will provide a range of agro-meteorological data products through DiCRA, including district- and block-level weather forecasts, agromet advisories, in-situ observations and weather alerts.
The data will be integrated into a dedicated Weather Portal within DiCRA’s existing suite of thematic portals.
It will be combined with DiCRA’s geospatial datasets on soil moisture, vegetation health, crop conditions and climate vulnerability to provide decision-ready insights at district and block levels.
NABARD Chairman Dr Shaji Krishnan V. said climate risk needed to be integrated into development and financing decisions rather than treated as a standalone issue.
“Information is available — what is needed is its conversion into intelligence and then into timely action. By bringing together IMD’s scientific capabilities and NABARD’s rural institutional reach, this partnership can help forewarn both the farmer and the bank, strengthening rural livelihoods and climate-resilient finance,” he said.
IMD Director General of Meteorology Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said weather forecasting in India had improved significantly, with accuracy increasing by around 40 to 50 per cent over the last decade and forecasts now reaching the panchayat level.
“The next challenge is to ensure that this information reaches every farmer in time and in a form they can use. No single institution can achieve that alone — IMD and NABARD together can bridge the last mile through outreach, technology and capacity building,” he said.
NABARD will use DiCRA’s open APIs and data infrastructure to disseminate IMD’s agro-meteorological products in actionable formats. District-level advisories, seasonal risk alerts and weather-linked vulnerability assessments will be made available to researchers, policymakers, credit officers, field staff and farmers through DiCRA’s web portal, mobile interface and API integrations.
The integration will also support NABARD’s existing Weather Portal within DiCRA, which is currently under development.
TNT KS
