AP Prepares Contingency Plans to Overcome El Niño Effect on State’s Crops
Authorities have planned district-wise crop diversification in the event of no rainfall
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government has prepared contingency plans for both the agriculture and horticulture crops following a deficit rainfall in the state due to the El Niño effect.
AP has received only 86.3 mm of rainfall against the normal 170.3 mm from June 1 to July 15, a deficit of 49.3 per cent. Under the circumstances, farmers are finding it difficult to raise crops this Kharif season, particularly when no water is available for canals under the dams on Godavari and Krishna rivers in the state.
Given the grim scenario, the state government has prepared contingency plans for all 28 districts in the state. Accordingly, in the event of no rains by July 31, no crops will be raised over nearly 2.40 lakh acres. The government is acquiring 47,321 quintals of seeds for raising alternate crops on the remaining lands.
Further, if no rains are received by August 15, nearly 5.12 lakh hectares may have to go for alternate crops. 1.12 lakh quintals of seeds will be requisitioned for farmers to raise alternative crops.
Authorities have planned district-wise crop diversification in the event of no rainfall. Crops like red gram, green gram, black gram, groundnut, jowar, cotton, ragi, bajra, korra, castor, Anumula and cow pea are to be raised over 1.29 lakh hectares for Kharif in 2026, against the paddy raised over 15.93 lakh hectares during 2025 Kharif.
The total area sown in the state so far for Kharif is 8.91 lakh hectares, which comes to 29 per cent of the normal area of 30.84 lakh hectares. Paddy is also being grown in nurseries for transplantation and is at various stages of growth.
The state Agriculture department, in association with Acharya N.G. Ranga University, Krishi Vignan Kendras, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, and a host of other scientific research institutions, is preparing contingency plans for raising regular and alternate crops based on availability of water.
A senior agriculture officer said, “We want to ensure that farmers are able to raise crops that require less quantity of water. This will avoid creating a shortage of foodgrains in the state.”
State horticulture authorities have also come up with contingency plans for Kharif season. They held a state-level workshop in hybrid mode at the Dr. Y.S.R. Horticulture University recently to address the challenges being posed by climate change.
University vice chancellor Dr. K. Dhanunjaya Rao called for understanding the impact of El Niño scientifically and to formulate appropriate action plans for the horticulture sector, as it plays a vital role in enhancing farmers’ income.
Horticulture director Dr. K. Sreenivasulu said El Niño will affect perennial crops like mango, citrus, cashew, and oil palm, apart from biennial crops like banana and papaya, and annual crops including onion and chilli to varying degrees. He called upon the horticulture university to develop crop-specific advisories to protect these crops from adverse effects.
