Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Balipur, Dhanbad.

Dhanbad, July 20: A weak and erratic monsoon has spelt doom for farmers of Dhanbad district this kharif season, prompting a worried administration to mount efforts to tackle the crisis.

Till July 18, the state received a mere 117.5mm rainfall — clearly not enough after a prolonged dry spell.

The agriculture department has distributed 112 quintals of maize seedlings among farmers in all eight blocks of the district. The two varieties of seedlings — Ganga Safed and HQPM — were provided at Rs 14.75 and Rs 18.50 per kg, respectively.

District agriculture officer Satyendra Prasad said 75 per cent of the expenses were born by the department, while farmers had to shell out the rest.

On the other hand, Baliapur-based Krishi Vigyan Kendra has decided to offer training on farming technology besides providing required equipment to farmers.

Senior scientist-cum-programme officer of Krishi Vigyan Kendra Ashok Kumar explained that the farmers had been asked to adopt the system of rice intensification (SRI)— a process by which 10-day seedlings are sown in mixed soil.

“We will train them about the technology. The institute will provide weeding machines to those who want to opt for the SRI method,” he added.

Prasad said farmers had been advised to cultivate short-duration crops and opt for direct sowing. Echoing him, Kumar added that they could cultivate pulses and oilseeds such as niger, sesame, pigeon pea and horse gram in upland while short-duration paddy was ideal for lowlands, he added.