No Crop Holiday Declared in Telangana, Clarifies Minister Tummala

Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has clarified reports claiming that the state government has announced a crop holiday. He said the government had not made any such announcement and urged farmers not to believe what he described as misinformation spread by the opposition. Stating that El Niño is a global climate phenomenon, the minister said the state was encouraging the cultivation of rain-fed and less water-intensive crops in view of its possible impact.

Tummala said the government was providing seeds for alternative crops at subsidised rates to protect farmers from potential losses. He added that awareness programmes on El Niño had been conducted among farmers over the past six months. The government was taking all necessary steps to safeguard farmers’ interests and help them choose crops suited to prevailing weather conditions, he said.