Shift to drought-resilient crops, farmers told
Kurnool: With forecasts indicating a possible El Nino impact this year, farmers have been advised to shift towards low-water-intensive, drought-resilient crops as severe summer conditions are being witnessed across Rayalaseema.
Officials said the rising temperatures in April itself point to a potential drought situation in the coming months. Recalling the 2018 scenario, they noted that the El Nino effect had impacted nearly 347 mandals, damaging crops over lakhs of hectares.
“The current conditions resemble 2018. If farmers plan in advance, losses can be minimised,” an agriculture official said.
Dry conditions are likely to continue from April to June, with Rayalaseema districts being the most vulnerable. Farmers are being advised to adopt natural farming practices and focus on crops that can withstand moisture stress. Officials are also promoting short-duration crops that can be harvested within 90 days to reduce the risk.
Kurnool collector A. Siri said, “In view of the possible El Nino conditions, farmers are urged to plan their crop patterns carefully. Officials from the agriculture, horticulture and micro-irrigation departments have been directed to guide farmers at the field level.”
Nandyal collector Rajakumari Gania stressed the importance of sustainable practices. “Natural farming methods can help reduce the impact of climate variability. Farmers are advised to expand horticulture crops and be prepared for rising temperatures,” she said.
Meanwhile, groundwater levels have dropped sharply in Nandyal, Kurnool and Kadapa districts. Officials said more than 3,700 borewells were drilled in these districts during March and April due to increasing water scarcity.
Farmers are facing difficulties. Farmer from Bethamcherla in Nandyal district, M Sivanagi Reddy, said, “Existing borewells have dried up. I had to drill a new borewell up to 400 feet. Water levels have fallen drastically this summer.”
Agriculture officials have urged farmers to grow drought-resistant crops such as jowar, bajra, ragi, green gram, red gram and Bengal gram. Cultivating water-intensive crops like paddy, sugarcane, cotton, chilli and banana is “highly risky” in drought conditions.
Agriculture officials warned that the Rayalaseema districts suffered heavy crop losses during the 2018 El Nino and stressed that proper preparedness and timely crop planning are essential to avoid a repeat of such losses this year.
Extent of land affected in districts due to El Nino in 2018
District - affected mandals - affected area (hectares)
Anantapur - 63 - 6,77,302
Kurnool - 50 - 4,02,506
Prakasam - 56 - 1,25,251
Chittoor - 63 - 79,370
Nellore - 46 - 2,068
Kadapa - 51 - 11,191
Krishna - 3 - 2,895
Guntur - 11 - 32,393
