Atchannaidu urges farmers to diversify crops amid El Niño threat

Guntur: Agriculture minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu on Monday cautioned farmers about the possible impact of El Nino conditions and advised them to adopt alternative crops. He wanted the farmers to diversify cultivation to avoid losses.

Stating that agriculture is the foundation of Andhra Pradesh’s development, he said the NDA govt was committed to farmer welfare and taking measures to increase the income of the farming community.Launching the Eruvaka programme at the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University in Guntur, Atchannaidu said the govt was working to strengthen the agriculture sector by ensuring timely supply of inputs, transparent distribution systems and promoting scientific farming practices.

The minister alleged that the agriculture sector received no proper support during the previous YSRCP regime and was weakened due to huge pending dues to seed companies.

He said the coalition govt, after assuming office, took steps to restore confidence among farmers and has been supplying green manure seeds to farmers with 100 percent subsidy.Atchannaidu said there was no shortage of seeds or fertilisers anywhere in the state and the govt had introduced a dedicated mobile application to ensure transparent fertiliser distribution.

He said around 15,47,951 fertiliser bags were distributed through the app in the last 20 days, benefiting more than three lakh tenant farmers. Highlighting the importance of soil health, the minister advised farmers to follow balanced fertiliser usage and avoid excessive application of chemical fertilisers.Atchannaidu urged farmers to cultivate crops based on market demand and cautioned that excessive cultivation of a single crop could result in financial losses.

“Horticulture crops have strong market demand. Farmers should take advantage of available opportunities and focus on crops that provide better returns,” he said. He said discussions were held with the tobacco board and traders to safeguard their interests.He said the govt had clearly instructed traders not to purchase Virginia tobacco below Rs 200 per kg. Atchannaidu said the govt would provide Rs 4 per kg support to Thotapuri mango farmers this year as well, continuing the assistance extended last year.

He said despite financial constraints, the govt had fulfilled its promise under the Annadata Sukhibhava scheme by releasing funds in three instalments, and the first instalment this year had already been credited into farmers’ bank accounts.

The minister said that although the govt had allocated Rs 300 crore in the 2025–26 budget, it spent around Rs 588 crore keeping farmers’ needs in view.He said the govt was focusing on establishing value-added industries and processing units to make agriculture a profitable sector. He expressed confidence that coordination among farmers, scientists and officials would further strengthen agriculture in Andhra Pradesh. District collector Sai Kanth Varma, MLAs Dhulipalla Narendra and Burla Ram Anjaneyulu, agriculture mission vice-chairman Srinivasa Reddy, university vice-chancellor Satyanarayana, officials from agriculture and allied departments, staff and students participated in the programme.