Nizamabad Collector Asks Farmers To Avoid Paddy During Rabi DUE To El Niño Effect
Says all efforts would be made to protect the standing Kharif paddy crop until harvest: Reports
NIZAMABAD: With the El Niño effect severely curtailing rainfall and water availability, Nizamabad collector Ila Tripathi has requested farmers across the district to cultivate only less water-intensive crops during the Rabi season. She clearly warned that the administration may not be able to ensure adequate irrigation for paddy.
Speaking at the Khet Bachao Abhiyan programme at the Rythu Vedika at Noothpalli village in Nandipet mandal on Tuesday, Ila Tripathi assured farmers that the district administration would make every effort to protect the standing Kharif paddy crop until harvest. However, she reiterated that water would not be available to support paddy cultivation during Rabi.
For Rabi cultivation, the collector advised farmers to consider pulses, such as green gram, black gram and Bengal gram, besides jowar, maize, and vegetables, which require less water. She encouraged drip irrigation for vegetable cultivation and oil palm plantations to conserve water.
Ila Tripathi said farmers willing to shift to less water-intensive crops would receive support from the district administration. Plans would be drawn up to extend subsidies for mulching and drip irrigation, while steps would be taken to improve marketing facilities for vegetables and other alternative crops.
The collector called for rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and construction of farm ponds and soak pits under VB-G RAM G to improve groundwater availability.
Warning against new borewells, she said groundwater levels are falling rapidly and fresh borewell drilling would not be permitted under the prevailing conditions. Machines drilling new borewells would be seized, she warned.
Ila Tripathi said water available in major reservoirs would be prioritised for drinking purposes. She underlined that with no hydel generation; power supply could be affected in the coming months. She thus again requested farmers not to risk losses by taking up paddy cultivation during the Rabi season.
The collector appealed to public representatives and women’s self-help groups to conduct awareness campaigns and persuade farmers to adopt alternative crops. She advised agriculture and horticulture department officials to persuade farmers about suitable Rabi crops and measures to cope with drought-like conditions.
Those who attended the Khet Bachao Abhiyan programme included Armoor sub-collector Abhigyan Malviya, district agriculture officer Veeraswamy, district cooperative officer Srinivasa Rao, horticulture officer Sandhya, sarpanch Rajireddy, area officials, and farmers.