El Nino fear may cut Vizianagaram crop area by 20,000 hectares this Kharif
VIZIANAGARAM The crop area in Vizianagaram district is likely to fall by about 20,000 hectares in the ongoing Kharif season because of El Nino, officials
VIZIANAGARAM The crop area in Vizianagaram district is likely to fall by about 20,000 hectares in the ongoing Kharif season because of El Nino, officials said. The area is normally around 1.43 lakh hectares, but it is expected to be held to 1.23 lakh hectares this year, on the prospect of poor weather and lower rainfall under El Nino.
Paddy, grown on 1.21 lakh hectares in 2025, may come down to 1.03 lakh hectares this year. Maize, however, is projected to rise to 10,200 hectares from 9,500. On the directions of Collector S. Ramsundar Reddy, agriculture department officials have been visiting places across the district to make farmers aware of the outlook, and to urge them to shift to crops that need less water than paddy.
Speaking to The Hindu, Vizianagaram District Agriculture Officer V.T. Rama Rao said the farmers were being told why crop diversification mattered, given El Nino, a disturbance in normal global weather patterns. “Compared to other districts, the North Andhra Pradesh region always receives more rainfall. We are hopeful of improvement in weather conditions and occurrence of normal rainfall in spite of the impact of El Nino,” Mr. Rama Rao said.
He said there would be no shortage of fertilisers, as they would be given to farmers through an online system this year.
The BriefWire