Annamayya Administration Bets on PMDS to Shield District Farmers From El Nino

TIRUPATI: Annamayya administration is expanding its Pelletized Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing (PMDS) to help farmers overcome the impact of El Nino on agricultural operations in the district. It is planning to bring one lakh acres under the climate-resilient PMDS practice to address delayed monsoon, prolonged dry spells, and moisture stress.

District collector Nishanth Kumar said the administration had begun preparations well ahead of the season to minimise climate-related risks. “PMDS is not merely a crop cover; it is an investment in soil health, moisture conservation, livestock fodder security, and climate resilience,” he underlined.

Against the current target of 75,776.25 acres, PMDS has already been implemented in 50,154.2 acres, achieving 66.19 per cent coverage and benefiting 47,245 farmers.

Officials have identified 22 high-risk and three medium-risk mandals for intervention. Farmers are being encouraged to cultivate drought-tolerant crops, such as horse gram, red gram, jowar, korra, and ragi, besides adopting intercropping, mulching, conservation furrows, timely weed control, foliar nutrient application, and life-saving irrigation.

The district administration has intensified water conservation works under the Jaladhara programme. A total of 4,304 works have been taken up, while 3,443 km of feeder channels have been restored after carrying out 33.50 lakh cubic metres of desiltation.

Officials said water storage in identified sources has increased to 5.318 TMC from 3.485 TMC during the corresponding period last year, while groundwater availability has improved from 15.98 TMC to 31.22 TMC. Restoration of feeder channels, tank connectivity, check dams, and other rainwater harvesting structures is also under way to improve water availability.

Micro-irrigation is being expanded under the AP Micro Irrigation Project, with 100 per cent subsidy for eligible SC/ST farmers and 90 per cent subsidy for marginal farmers. The focus is on borewell irrigation and drip systems in the water-stressed villages of Rayachoti and Piler. Horticulture farmers have been advised to adopt drip irrigation, mulching, and shade protection to reduce heat stress in fruit, flower and vegetable crops.

However, drinking water continues to be a concern, with 74 of the district's 4,550 habitations facing acute shortages. Tankers are supplying water to 58 habitations, while private sources have been tapped for the remaining 16.

The Animal Husbandry Department has completed 7,40,316 vaccinations against the 2026–27 target of 10,46,750. It has distributed 12,01,800 kg of fodder seed, 528 chaff cutters, and 16,02,000 kg of cattle feed.

“The district is prepared for El Nino crisis by combining water conservation, climate-resilient agriculture, natural farming, micro-irrigation, crop diversification, drinking water security, and livestock protection,” the collector emphasised.

He asked farmers to adopt PMDS along with short-duration crops, micro-irrigation, and other water-saving practices depending on the soil moisture conditions.