El Nino Impact: Minister Tummala Advises Farmers

In view of the El Nino conditions, Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has advised farmers to follow scientific recommendations and opt for short-duration, low-water, and high-yield crops during the Kharif season. With rainfall remaining below normal across the state, he urged farmers to cultivate crops such as sorghum, pearl millet, foxtail millet, green gram, black gram, and red gram. He made these remarks during the Rythu Nestham programme held via video conference from the Secretariat on Tuesday.

The minister noted that rainfall has also been deficient in neighboring states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, which may reduce water availability in the Krishna and Godavari basin areas. Groundwater levels are already low and may decline further in the coming days. He advised farmers to avoid water-intensive crops like paddy and sugarcane and instead adopt alternative crops. He also directed agriculture, irrigation, groundwater, and meteorological departments to provide continuous guidance to farmers.