NABARD and IMD Partner to Deliver Actionable Weather Intelligence Directly to Indian Farmers via DiCRA Platform
New Delhi: In a landmark move to enhance climate resilience across Indian agriculture, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) formalized a strategic partnership today through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Signed on August 14, 2026, the collaboration will integrate IMD’s advanced agro-meteorological data into NABARD’s open-source digital platform, DiCRA (Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture), making timely, location-specific weather insights freely accessible to farmers, financial institutions, policymakers, and researchers nationwide.
The MoU was signed by Shri Sanjeev D. Rohilla, Chief General Manager of NABARD’s Department of Climate Action and Sustainability, and Shri Bikram Singh, Scientist-G and Head of IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai. The ceremony was witnessed by Dr. Shaji Krishnan V., Chairman of NABARD, Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology at IMD, and senior officials from both organizations, along with representatives of partner institutions, including UNDP, which supports the DiCRA platform.
Bridging Data Gaps with Decision-Ready Intelligence
Under the agreement, IMD will provide a comprehensive suite of agro-meteorological products—including district and block-level weather forecasts, advisory bulletins, in-situ observations, and real-time alerts—through a dedicated Weather Portal within DiCRA. These datasets will be integrated alongside DiCRA’s existing geospatial layers on soil moisture, vegetation health, crop conditions, and climate vulnerability, enabling users to derive actionable agricultural and financial insights at hyper-local levels.
Dr. Shaji Krishnan V., Chairman of NABARD, emphasized the transformative potential of the partnership: “Climate risk can no longer be treated in isolation—it must be embedded into every development and financing decision. While information is increasingly available, the real gap lies in converting it into intelligence and, ultimately, into timely action. By uniting IMD’s scientific expertise with NABARD’s grassroots institutional network, we can forewarn both farmers and financial institutions, thereby strengthening rural livelihoods and advancing climate-resilient finance.”
From Forecasts to Farm‑Level Impact
Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology at IMD, highlighted India’s advances in meteorological precision: “Over the past decade, India has improved the accuracy of its weather forecasts by 40 to 50 percent, with predictions now reaching down to the panchayat level. The next frontier is ensuring this information reaches every farmer—on time and in a usable format. No single institution can achieve this alone. Through this collaboration, IMD and NABARD will bridge the last mile by combining outreach, technology, and capacity-building.”
Operationalizing Weather‑Smart Agriculture
NABARD will leverage DiCRA’s open APIs and data infrastructure to disseminate IMD’s agro‑met products—translated into farmer‑friendly formats—across its extensive rural network. District‑level advisories, seasonal risk alerts, and weather‑linked vulnerability assessments will be made available through DiCRA’s web portal, mobile interface, and API integrations, supporting researchers, policymakers, credit officers, field staff, and farmers alike. The integration will also enhance NABARD’s existing weather portal within DiCRA, which is currently under development.
This partnership, solidified on August 14, 2026, marks a significant step toward democratizing climate intelligence, empowering stakeholders across the agricultural value chain to make informed, resilient decisions in the face of increasing weather variability.
