Horticultural Crops Across AP Highly Vulnerable to El Niño, Officials Warn
They have advised farmers to focus on short-duration vegetables that require less water.
Agricultural officials have identified around 3.61 lakh hectares of horticultural crops across the state as vulnerable to El Niño-related weather conditions. Rayalaseema accounts for a significant share of the affected area.
Officials say lemon, sweet lime, and mango crops in Rayalaseema are among the most vulnerable to rising temperatures and dry weather conditions developing across Andhra Pradesh.
Other crops classified as highly sensitive are chilli in south Andhra and mango, cashew, and coconut in north Andhra.
Overall, these weather conditions are expected to undermine the income of horticulture farmers in the state.
Nandyal district Horticulture officer U. Nagaraju said the impact on sweet lime and mango is already visible in several parts of Rayalaseema. “We are explaining alternative cultivation practices to farmers to help them minimise losses,” he maintained.
As part of its measures, the state government has directed district collectors to promote micro-irrigation, farm ponds, and weed mats to conserve soil moisture. 18,529 hectares have been brought under micro-irrigation against a target of 58,058 hectares. Of the 4,384 farm ponds planned, 741 have been constructed. Weed mats have been laid over 184 hectares against a target of 6,566 hectares.
Chilli cultivation in south Andhra is at risk, with around 17,916 hectares likely to be affected. Officials have recommended short-duration vegetable crops requiring less water as intercrops in Kurnool, Markapuram, Prakasam, Bapatla, Palnadu, and Guntur districts.
D. Venkateswarlu, a farmer from Mydukur in Kadapa district, said high temperatures have severely reduced his papaya and chilli production. “Groundwater levels in my fields have declined. I had to drill two additional borewells, incurring an expenditure of ₹2 lakh,” he said.
Officials have advised farmers to focus on short-duration vegetables that require less water. They have recommended that onions be cultivated only where adequate soil moisture and irrigation facilities are available.
The impact of adverse weather conditions is also being felt on rain-fed crops. In Kurnool district, more than 50 per cent of the cotton crop cultivated over 2.40 lakh acres has dried up this year, according to officials.
Government officials have reiterated their advice to farmers that they actively adopt water-saving practices and select crops based on water available locally to minimise their losses during the challenging weather conditions.