El Niño Impact.. Severe Blow to Paddy Cultivation

The Agriculture Department has reported that the impact of El Niño has led to severe rain deficit conditions across the state, significantly affecting agricultural activity. Of the 12,760 revenue villages, farming operations are currently continuing in only 1,609 villages, while 11,151 villages are facing varying degrees of drought. Rainfall deficiency has been recorded in 2,320 villages as moderate, 7,959 as severe, and 892 as extremely severe. As of Thursday, 23 districts continue to experience drought conditions, while the remaining 10 districts have received normal rainfall. During the 53-day monsoon season, rainfall occurred on only 27 days, resulting in an average rainfall of 217.4 mm against the normal 287.6 mm, a deficit of 24 percent.

The rainfall shortage has drastically reduced cultivation across the state, with crops sown in only 67.78 lakh acres out of the normal 1.32 crore acres. Paddy cultivation alone is expected to decline by nearly 27.44 lakh acres this season. The Agriculture Department has recommended encouraging farmers to shift towards millets, pulses, oilseeds, maize, and horticultural crops that require less water. It has also advised expanding micro-irrigation, conserving rainwater, ensuring timely supply of quality seeds and fertilizers, promoting alternative crops, and establishing control rooms at the mandal level to provide immediate assistance to farmers.