Shopian: When the horticulture industry was facing a major challenge in terms of unseasonal rains which not only washed away the sprayed fungicides but also resulted in outbreak of many diseases in fruits, particularly in apple, a young man from Srinagar has almost ended the woes of fruit growers here.
Faizan Arif, a 20-year-old college student from Nawakadal in Srinagar, has for the past couple of years now given precise weather forecasts to fruit growers, which not only come true but also save a lot of money when it comes to the expenditure on costly fungicides.
Though the government’s meteorological department also gives out daily weather forecasts, Faizan’s are altogether different, as he gives hour by hour updates of rains and dry weather.
According to horticulture experts, there should be at least eight to 10 hours gap between spray and rains in systemic fungicide and more than 24 hours in contact fungicide. However, before Faizan, growers were unable to know what actually was going to happen with their costly sprays.
Faizan told Kashmir Reader that for the last two years he has been receiving numerous calls from growers to know when to spray and when not to. “I am studying 15 different weather models, international and India-based both, to get precise forecasting,” he said, adding that he analyses different parameters of these models and gives region-wise, district-wise weather forecasting.
Faizan is currently an undergraduate student at Amity University in Lucknow where he is studying for a Bachelor’s in Physics Honours.
The models that Faizan said he monitors before making his prediction include Global Forecasting System (GFS), an American satellite weather model, European Central for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWS), and Nems.
“I am doing this as a passion and it gives me joy when people get some relief by my work, even though I am not being paid for it!” he said.
Shakir Ahmad, a local from Shopian, said that Faizan’s predictions have helped him a lot in saving money on sprays. “I do contact him before going for a spray. He precisely and thoroughly explains to me how things are going to change or remain the same,” he said.
Not only Shakir, hundreds of such fruit growers follow the advisories given by this young weatherman. “I get calls from travellers, those who have marriages planned, but mostly by horticulture and agriculture-dependent people,” Faizan said, adding that he was curious about weather patterns since the age of eight.

Raashid Hassan