Thane | With rains delayed, the Thane district administration has advised farmers to postpone sowing kharif crops, officials said on Wednesday.

District Superintendent Agricultural Officer Rameshwar Pache has urged farmers to hold off sowing until the region receives at least 100 mm of rainfall to ensure seedling survival.

"Considering the climate changes, farmers should strictly follow the weather-based agricultural advisories disseminated through Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Agricultural University. The agriculture department has also prepared an emergency crop planning model to mitigate the impact of the delayed rains," an official release said.

To tackle the dry spell, the administration has recommended early-maturing paddy varieties. The advisory suggests spraying a one per cent urea solution during the nursery stage to build water-stress tolerance.

The Zilla Parishad will distribute 500 tiller machines under a cess grant to promote modern cultivation methods, officials said.

Authorities have already conducted several technical and 'El Nino' awareness campaigns, alongside distributing subsidised seeds, to stabilise the district's kharif season production.

Maharashtra received only 26 per cent of its normal rainfall in the first half of June, prompting the government to advise farmers "not to hurry" crop sowing, as per a crop situation review presented before the state cabinet on Tuesday.

The cabinet expressed concern over the delay in the monsoon and depleting water stock, and stressed the need to use water judiciously