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CM Chandrababu Naidu reviews El Nino preparedness in state
In Short
Calls for steps to protect farmers
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Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu reviews the impact of El Nino, precautionary measures, and implementation of the action plan at a teleconference from Bengaluru on Saturday
Amaravati: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the impacts of El Nino, precautionary measures, and implementation of the action plan at a teleconference from Bengaluru with senior officials of various departments, district Collectors, officials, employees and Rythu Seva Kendra (RSK) staff on Saturday.
The Chief Minister directed officials to implement the action plan to mitigate the impact of El Nino and ensure that farmers and consumers do not face difficulties. The government should focus on protecting farmers from the adverse effects of El Nino, while preventing a rise in prices of essential commodities, he underlined. “Though we had anticipated the El Nino conditions, everyone must work according to the action plan already prepared. Its impact will not be confined to farmers but will affect all systems,” he observed.
Naidu directed officials to promote cultivation based on market demand and ensure that farmers receive crop insurance compensation in the event of crop losses. He specifically asked officials to keep the prices of rice, onions, palm oil, and red gram under control.
Officials were asked to assess the availability of rice stocks in godowns and take steps to release stocks into the market wherever necessary to stabilise prices. He said efforts were under way to procure onions from different regions to control prices and called for promoting onion cultivation in accordance with expected demand.
Decisions already taken to control palm oil and red gram prices should be implemented quickly, he added. The Chief Minister called for promotion of kitchen gardens through self-help groups to increase local vegetable production and help keep prices under control. He asked officials to coordinate with the Centre on minimum support prices for crops.
Naidu said disasters should be treated as a challenge and their impact on people should be minimised through coordinated efforts by public representatives, officials, farmers and irrigation associations. He called for temporary and medium-term plans to withstand the effects of El Nino. The Chief Minster stressed the need to make maximum use of the recent rainfall and give priority to rain-fed crops and natural farming. He said Rs 190 crore had been allocated to protect horticulture crops in high-risk RSK areas and directed officials to utilise the funds effectively.
The Chief Minister instructed authorities to ensure drinking water for people and adequate water and fodder for livestock. He called for increasing fodder cultivation, sowing seeds for mulching, and promoting crops suited to local demand. Naidu said the state had recorded a deficit rainfall of 50.7 per cent, with Prakasam, Annamayya and Sri Sathya Sai districts facing the highest deficits. Against the target of cultivating 30.84 lakh hectares during the Kharif season, cultivation had commenced on 79 per cent of the area despite the El Nino conditions. While pulses were performing relatively well, oilseed cultivation remained low. The impact of El Nino was more pronounced on crops in Kurnool, Nandyal, and Anantapur districts.
The Chief Minister directed officials to implement the contingency plan effectively. Pulses, millets, and green manure crops had already been supplied for 5.21 lakh hectares, while 1.31 lakh quintals of seeds had been supplied at 80 per cent subsidy. Another Rs 60 crore had been kept ready for the Kharif contingency plan, he mentioned. Officials were instructed to undertake regular field visits and create awareness among farmers about drought-resistant crops, their benefits and cultivation of crops with high market demand. Naidu called for promoting onion and chilli cultivation in non-traditional areas.
The Chief Minster said the government’s advance measures had enabled water to be supplied to drought-prone areas. Water had been taken to the tail-end lands through the Handri-Neeva project, and measures were now being taken to ensure drinking water availability. Naidu said the government had spent Rs 3,500 crore to bring water into the Handri-Neeva canals within 100 days.
He said Rs 65,000 crore had been spent on irrigation between 2014 and 2019, while the previous government had spent only Rs 22,000 crore between 2019 and 2024. Had the irrigation projects been completed, the state would have faced fewer difficulties even during disasters such as El Nino, he said.
