Agriculture Dept Launches Campaign on El Nino, Says Avoid Paddy, Pick Alternate Crops

 Hyderabad: The prospects of a poor monsoon becoming more real, the agriculture department has launched a campaign to encourage farmers to shift to crops that require less irrigation water and are of short duration.

With paddy emerging as a predominant crop over the past few years, and the state government asking farmers to shift to other crops during this Kharif season, the agriculture department has said below-normal rainfall in Karnataka’s Krishna basin catchments may reduce or delay inflows to key reservoirs of Srisailam, Jurala, and Nagarjunasagar, affecting timely paddy sowing. Similarly poor rainfall conditions in the Godavari river catchments may reduce reservoir inflows, affecting irrigation and paddy cultivation, the department has said.

Agriculture commissioner Dr B. Gopi told Deccan Chronicle that as part of the reach-out efforts to farmers, the department has launched a social media campaign starting with a video shared on its YouTube channel that shows two farmers talking about El Nino, the expected poor rainfall and alternative crops that make sense in such conditions.

“This is also being shared on a WhatsApp channel which has 57,000 farmers in the group. As we get more weather updates, the department will continue reaching out to farmers, not just through such efforts, but directly through the district level officials, and through the recently launched weather messaging service which can reach 15 lakh farmers,” he said.

To start with, the department has prepared contingency agriculture plans for all districts assuming three situations — no rain till July 15, no rain till July 30, and no rain till August 15. With respect to paddy, the department said farmers should go for short duration paddy varieties if the monsoon was delayed, and it would be best if they opt for ‘major contingency crops’ like redgram, greengram, blackgram, jowar, bajra and maize. If there is no rain till July 15, farmers must pick short duration fine and coarse paddy varieties which have a 125 days or less period.

The contingency action plan was discussed during the video conference with district collectors chaired by Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao on Tuesday. District collectors will be the nodal officers for implementing the plan as per the emerging weather conditions as the Kharif crop season gets under way.

Infograph

Gearing up for an El Nino Kharif

Contingency crop planning in place.

Plan focuses on rainfall situation by July 15, July 30, Aug. 30.

Adequate availability of seeds, fertilisers to be ensured.

Sensitising farmers on efficient irrigation practices.

Encourage short duration non-paddy crops.

Providing weather advisories, awareness programmes.

Monitoring rainfall patterns and crop conditions.

Agriculture, irrigation, and disaster management departments to work together.