Take alternative steps to ensure not one acre dries up in A.P., officials told amid El Nino woes
The Andhra Pradesh government is implementing emergency measures to mitigate the impact of El Nino on agriculture, including promoting less-water-intensive crops and providing seed subsidies. With rainfall 52% below normal, officials are prioritizing irrigation and drinking water security.
Why it matters
This proactive response addresses the immediate threat of drought to food security and rural livelihoods in the region.
The Andhra Pradesh government has directed officials to ensure that not a single acre of cultivated land dries up due to the impact of El Nino, while urging farmers to shift towards less-water-intensive crops, Information and Public Relations Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy said on Thursday.
Briefing the media at the Secretariat after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Parthasarathy said the Chief Minister had ordered immediate measures to ensure drinking water supply and irrigation facilities, besides creating awareness among farmers on crop diversification.
The State had so far received 52% less rainfall than normal and was among the two States recording the lowest rainfall in the country, he said. Normally, nearly 90% of the cultivated area would have been brought under cultivation by this time, but only 60-65% had been covered this year, indicating the severity of the situation.
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