Mulugu farmers advised to shift crops

Metro India News | MULUGU 

With concerns growing over below-normal rainfall due to the anticipated El Niño impact, agriculture officials in Mulugu district have advised farmers to opt for low-water, short-duration crops instead of depending on water-intensive cultivation. Although the district has received moderate rainfall over the past few days, officials said most tanks and ponds have not received adequate inflows, while the Godavari River is yet to witness substantial flooding.

Agriculture experts cautioned that uncertainty over future rainfall could affect the ongoing kharif season. Many farmers have not even raised paddy nurseries because of insufficient water availability, and officials warned that delayed transplantation may not yield satisfactory results. They urged farmers to plan cultivation based on available water resources rather than expectations of heavy rains later in the season.

Mulugu district cultivates more than 1.45 lakh acres under various crops, with paddy, cotton, maize and chilli being the major ones. So far, paddy nurseries have been raised on around 3,700 acres, while cotton has been sown on nearly 25,000 acres.

Horticulture officials suggested that farmers diversify towards fruit crops such as mango, lemon, guava, banana, papaya, dragon fruit, custard apple and jamun using water-saving techniques like drip irrigation, mulching and sprinkler systems. These methods can significantly reduce water consumption while ensuring better productivity. Officials also recommended cultivating climate-resilient crops that require less water, including millets such as bajra, ragi and jowar, along with pulses like red gram, bengal gram, green gram, black gram and cowpea. Oilseed crops including sesame, castor, sunflower and groundnut were also identified as suitable alternatives for the district's soil and rainfall conditions.

Farmers with access to borewells or open wells were encouraged to take up short-duration vegetable cultivation, including tomato, okra, green chilli, brinjal, beans, pumpkin, cucumber and onion. Creeper vegetables such as ridge gourd, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, broad beans and drumstick were also recommended.

Officials stressed that agriculture, horticulture and irrigation departments should jointly conduct awareness programmes to encourage farmers to adopt alternative cropping patterns and water-efficient farming practices to minimise losses if rainfall remains below normal during the season.