SKLTSHU advises farmers to avoid paddy under borewells

SKLTSHU Vice Chancellor Dr Danda Raji Reddy urged Telangana farmers to prioritise vegetable cultivation and avoid paddy under borewells due to El Niño. He also advised reducing chemical fertiliser use and following the university's alternative crop plan for the season

Hyderabad: Given the El Niño impact across the State, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University Vice Chancellor Dr Danda Raji Reddy on Tuesday urged farmers to prioritise vegetable cultivation and avoid paddy cultivation under borewells at all costs.

Addressing a seminar on Telangana’s preparedness for the warming of the Pacific Ocean associated with El Niño, Dr Raji Reddy suggested that crops such as castor and red gram (pigeon pea) could be cultivated under borewells.

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Noting that Telangana imports vegetables worth Rs 4,000 crore from other states, Dr Raji Reddy called for incentivising farmers to encourage vegetable cultivation. He said the university has already released an alternative crop plan for the El Niño period and outlined the precautions farmers should take for various horticultural crops.

The SKLTSHU Vice Chancellor said horticultural scientists are participating in gram sabhas across the State and explaining crop planning to farmers through social media. He suggested that short-duration vegetable crops would be particularly beneficial in the prevailing conditions.

Observing that fertilisers have been used excessively over the past decade, he urged farmers to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers, at least during the El Niño period.