Nandyal District Collector Rajakumari Ganiya has directed officials of the Agriculture and allied departments to create extensive awareness among farmers and encourage them to focus on cultivating alternative crops, given the likelihood of a severe El Nino impact during the current agricultural season.

The Collector held a review meeting on Monday with officials regarding various issues, during which she noted that meteorological forecasts predict below-normal rainfall this year. She instructed officials to implement a special action plan and raise widespread awareness to encourage farmers to opt for alternative crops, as there was a possibility of dry weather and high temperatures persisting for 15 to 20 days even if rainfall occurs.

She said that the El Niño effect could lead to a further decline in groundwater levels, severely impacting the availability of drinking water, water for livestock, and green fodder. Given that water availability in Srisailam reservoir was already at a concerning level, the Collector advised everyone to exercise prudence in water usage.

Ms. Rajakumari directed the officials to create widespread awareness among farmers, urging them to avoid cultivating water-intensive crops like paddy and maize due to the prevailing deficit rainfall. Instead, farmers should be urged to cultivate alternative crops that require less moisture, such as red gram (pigeon pea), black gram, green gram, pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet, castor, and sorghum (jowar).

Reminding that the deadline for crop insurance enrolment was July 31, the Collector instructed Agriculture department officials to conduct a special campaign to ensure that every eligible farmer obtains crop insurance.

Meanwhile, in Anantapur, Collector O. Anand directed officials to work with a planned approach and in coordination to effectively handle the effect of El Nino.

Published - July 27, 2026 08:48 pm IST