El Nino Effect: Farmers Urged To Shift to Less Water-Intensive Crops

 Adilabad: The agriculture department in Telangana has initiated awareness measures urging farmers to adopt crop diversification in view of a low rainfall forecast linked to the El Nino effect.

Officials said farmers in the erstwhile Adilabad district, comprising Nirmal, Adilabad, Mancherial and Komaram Bheem Asifabad, largely cultivate cotton, soya and paddy during kharif. Cotton alone is grown in about 15 lakh acres, including 4.3 lakh acres in Adilabad district.

With the possibility of a drought-like situation due to deficient rainfall, the department has prepared contingency crop plans for varying scenarios, including no rainfall till July 15, July 30 and August 15 in 2026.

Farmers have been advised to shift to less water-intensive crops such as pulses including redgram, jowar, greengram and blackgram, along with bajra, maize and oilseeds. The department also plans to promote eight varieties of short-duration paddy and encourage organic farming under the National Sahaja Agriculture Mission.

Training in organic farming will be provided to 125 farmers in each of the 125 clusters in Adilabad district. Awareness programmes will also cover the use and benefits of nano urea.

Officials said contingency planning is being undertaken for crops suited to different rainfall conditions, with review meetings being held with agriculture extension officers and other officials to assess the situation.

Green manure distribution is being planned for the kharif 2026 season across 32 districts, including Nirmal, Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad and Mancherial.

Officials noted that while Mancherial typically receives normal rainfall in June and July, rainfall has been below average in August and September over the past six years. An agriculture action plan is being prepared factoring in the El Nino impact.

Adilabad district agriculture officer Sridhar Swamy appealed to farmers to adopt crop diversification, including mixed and short-duration crops, and consider alternatives such as oil palm and maize cultivation.

The measures are aimed at mitigating the impact of anticipated rainfall deficits on crop output.