Big data boost for agriculture sector

TDT | Manama

The newly commissioned meteorological stations in Budaiya and Hawrat Aaali have started gathering data critical to the enhancement of the agricultural sector in the Kingdom. The stations are recording data for the past 24 hours and is performing satisfactorily, said Dr Nabil Muhammad Abu AlFateh, Agriculture and Marine Resources Undersecretary at the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning.

Budaiya and Hawrat Aaali were chosen for the stations considering the investments in the agricultural sector there. The stations allow accurate detection of wind direction, wind speed, temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, solar radiation as well as evaporation and transpiration from plants among several other functions.

Explaining, Dr Al Fateh said the data could be used to analyse precisely how much water is lost from soil and plants, which would help determine the water needed for the irrigation of crops. “This would help rationalise the water consumption based on the actual needs and design programmes to prevent fungal and bacterial diseases and optimise the productivity of crops.” Critical data from the station, he said, could be used to develop a modern agricultural strategy that suits the climatic conditions of a given region where the agricultural investment is sought.

“This could be done by joining hands with international organisations.” “We are moving forward under the guidance of the Minister of Works, Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning Essam Khalaf to implement initiatives and programmes that will advance the agricultural sector of the Kingdom,” Dr Al-Fateh said.