Tummala urges farmers to skip paddy, shift to short-duration crops | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: With El Niño raising fears of a drought-like Yasangi season, agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has urged farmers to avoid paddy cultivation and shift to short-duration crops that require less water.Addressing a Rythu Nestham conference attended by district collectors and farmers, Tummala said the effects of El Niño were being felt globally and stressed the need to make farmers aware of the likely water situation before they finalise cropping plans.He directed agriculture officials to educate farmers on prevailing conditions and encourage cultivation of crops that can be grown with less water. To support the transition, the govt is supplying subsidised seeds of short-duration crops, he said.The minister’s appeal comes amid concerns over irrigation water availability during yasangi if rainfall remains deficient and reservoir levels do not improve. Since paddy is a water-intensive crop, he said farmers should assess water availability before deciding what to cultivate.Tummala also accused opposition parties of attempting to derive political mileage from the drought situation instead of focusing on farmers’ welfare and challenges.