Amaravati, Sep 20 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday called for tackling the El Nino phenomenon as a challenge.
He suggested adopting short-term and medium-term plans to tackle the impact of El Nino.
He reviewed the impact of El Nino, necessary measures to tackle the situation, and the implementation of the action plan.
The Chief Minister held a teleconference with senior officials from various departments, district collectors, staff, and Rythu Seva Kendras (RSKs) personnel.
He stated that a rainfall deficit of 50.7 per cent has been recorded across the state. The highest rainfall deficits are observed in Prakasam, Annamayya, and Sathya Sai districts.
While cultivation was planned for 30.84 lakh hectares during the Kharif season, farming operations have commenced on 79 per cent of the land due to the impact of El Nino.
Although pulse cultivation is satisfactory, the cultivation of oilseeds remains low.
He asked officials to focus on supporting farmers and keeping prices in check. Orders were issued to officials to control the prices of rice, onions, palm oil, and red gram.
“We anticipated El Nino conditions well in advance. Everyone must work according to the pre-prepared action plan. The impact of El Nino affects not just farmers, but all sectors. While striving to protect farmers from the effects of El Nino, measures must also be taken to prevent price hikes,” he said.
The Chief Minister advised optimal utilisation of funds allocated to support horticultural crops in high-risk RSK areas.
He emphasised the need to focus on cultivating crops based on market demand
“We have arranged for crop insurance; if crop loss occurs, we must ensure the insurance payout reaches the farmers,” Chandrababu Naidu said.
He directed officials to check stock levels of rice and release rice stocks into the market to keep prices under control.
“We are currently procuring onions from various regions to control their prices. Onion cultivation needs to be encouraged to meet future demand. Decisions already taken to control the prices of palm oil and red gram must be implemented swiftly,” he said.
The Chief Minister asked officials to encourage kitchen gardens and ensure that vegetables are grown through kitchen gardens managed by self-help groups. He believes that this will help in keeping vegetable prices under control.
Stating that the Central Government provides Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for certain crops, he asked officials to coordinate with the Centre in this regard.
“It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the public is not adversely affected when disasters occur. Situations where farmers and consumers face hardship due to official negligence must be avoided,” he said.
CM Naidu urged public representatives, the administrative machinery, farmers, and water user associations to work in coordination.
“It has been raining for the past few days; these rains must be utilised effectively. Top priority should be given to rain-fed crops and natural farming.”
Noting that horticultural crops in some areas face high risk, he said Rs 190 crore allocated to protect them must be utilised effectively.
He asked officials to ensure water and fodder for livestock.
–IANS
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