Telangana CM seeks central aid to mitigate El Niño fallout in state

Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday appealed to Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to assist the state in mitigating the impact of El Niño on agriculture, electricity demand and water availability.

The chief minister met Chouhan, who was in Hyderabad to attend the South Zone Agriculture Conference by the Union agriculture ministry, and explained the prevailing drought-like situation in the state due to El Niño impact.

State revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, chief secretary Sanjay Jaju and other senior officials were present.

Revanth Reddy told the Union minister that conditions had resulted in increased dependence on irrigation, consequently pushing up power consumption in the agriculture sector.

He said the state government had already prepared advance plans to ensure that the El Niño conditions did not lead to shortages of drinking water and electricity. He, however, sought necessary assistance from the Centre to that effect.

Revanth Reddy said Telangana was providing fine-quality rice to poor beneficiaries through ration shops, an initiative he claimed as unique in the country. The state was also encouraging farmers to cultivate fine varieties of paddy by providing a ₹ 500 bonus per quintal of fine paddy, he said.

In view of the El Niño conditions, he said the government was encouraging farmers to move towards crop diversification. He also sought the Centre’s cooperation in promoting crop rotation practices.

The South Zone Agriculture Conference discussed key agricultural reforms, including digital agriculture and farmer registry, high-value horticulture and value addition, self-reliance in edible oils and pulses, natural farming, balanced fertilizer management and measures to check spurious pesticides and fertilizers, people familiar with the conference said. Union ministers of state Ram Nath Thakur and Bhagirath Choudhary, besides agriculture ministers and officials from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Lakshadweep.

Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience.