399 T mandals under stress, El Nino expert panel seeks curbs on paddy | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Facing a widening rainfall deficit and mounting stress on reservoirs and groundwater resources, a state-appointed expert committee on El Nino has recommended that the state govt prohibit fresh paddy transplantation in 399 water-stressed mandals, covering nearly two-thirds of the state, and push farmers towards less water-intensive crops.The recommendation, termed a ‘no additional paddy‘ mandate, is among the key proposals submitted by the committee constituted to assess the impact of prevailing El Nino conditions on agriculture and allied sectors. The panel, however, made it clear that the restrictions should apply only to fresh expansion of paddy cultivation in borewell-dependent and rainfed areas and that existing nurseries and already transplanted fields should not be disturbed.

The committee’s recommendation comes amid a significant rainfall deficit. Telangana received 216 mm of rainfall against the normal 286.5 mm between June 1 and July 22, registering a 25% shortfall. Of the state’s 621 mandals, 399 were classified as deficient or large-deficient rainfall mandals, prompting the panel to recommend restrictions on fresh paddy expansion in these areas.The strongest recommendation emerged from the erstwhile Medak district comprising Medak, Sangareddy and Siddipet districts, where district-level review meetings specifically called for implementation of a ‘no additional paddy‘ policy in critically water-stressed mandals. The committee also suggested replacing paddy and sugarcane with crops such as red gram, maize, sorghum and pulses in water-deficit regions.Similar concerns were recorded across the state. In the erstwhile Karimnagar district covering Karimnagar, Rajanna Sircilla, Jagtial and Peddapalli, officials recommended discouraging paddy expansion under borewell irrigation in water-stressed areas. The Nalgonda region, comprising Nalgonda, Suryapet and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts, advised against water-intensive paddy cultivation in vulnerable pockets and called for regulation of groundwater extraction.In Khammam and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts, the committee recommended avoiding paddy cultivation in non-assured irrigation areas and reserving available reservoir water primarily for drinking purposes. The Warangal region, including Warangal, Hanumakonda, Mahabubabad, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Jangaon and Mulugu districts, advocated diversification away from paddy and chilli towards pulses, millets and other drought-tolerant crops.Even in the traditional paddy-growing belt of Nizamabad and Kamareddy, the panel stopped short of supporting unrestricted expansion. Instead, it recommended short duration paddy varieties, direct seeded rice, climate advisory centres and water-saving cultivation practices.The report has projected a sharp decline in paddy cultivation this kharif season. Paddy acreage is expected to fall by nearly 45%, from 69.89 lakh acres in 2025 to 38.51 lakh acres in 2026, accounting for the bulk of the projected 32.2 lakh acre reduction in overall kharif cropped area.While noting that paddy acreage expanded dramatically from 25.85 lakh acres in 2015-16 to 135.82 lakh acres in 2025-26, helping Telangana emerge as one of the country’s leading rice producers and the second largest contributor to the central rice procurement pool, the committee cautioned that the crop’s high water requirement makes it particularly vulnerable during El Nino years marked by deficient rainfall, poor reservoir inflows and falling groundwater levels.Agriculture officials informed the panel that field staff were already advising farmers against late paddy transplantation in water-scarce areas and promoting alternatives such as redgram, greengram, millets, oilseeds and vegetables. A contingency plan has also been prepared to shift a substantial portion of the expected paddy shortfall area to climate-resilient crops.The recommendations found support from national research institutions. ICRISAT told the committee that the current situation should be viewed as an opportunity to promote pulses, millets and oilseeds in place of paddy, while the horticulture department proposed diversification of about 13.5 lakh acres to vegetables, fruits, oil palm and other less water-intensive crops. The report noted that the water required to cultivate one acre of paddy could sustain nearly four acres of horticulture crops.The committee also flagged growing pressure on water resources, noting that live storage in major reservoirs across the Krishna and Godavari basins has fallen close to minimum drawdown levels and has largely been reserved for drinking water. In its long-term strategy, the panel advocated a gradual shift from water-intensive paddy cultivation towards pulses, millets and oilseeds, backed by incentives, procurement support and climate-based crop planning.