Farmers across Telangana are staging protests at substations and squatting on roads, alleging inadequate power supply during the Vanakalam season. With deficient rainfall already affecting crops, the shortage of electricity is preventing farmers from operating borewells and pump sets, raising fears of crop failure.
Telangana has recorded a 10 per cent increase in cropped area despite the El Niño impact, according to PJTAU. The university said pulses and oilseed cultivation has increased, attributing the growth to crop diversification campaigns encouraging farmers to adopt alternative cropping patterns.
Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla urged Telangana to expand pulse and oil palm cultivation, citing India’s heavy dependence on edible oil imports and stressing the need for self-reliance amid El Nino concerns.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao criticised the Congress government for allowing Godavari floodwaters to flow downstream despite water scarcity in Telangana. He urged the government to utilise the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme to protect crops and support farmers facing deficient rainfall.
Amid concerns over the impact of El Niño and declining reservoir levels, horticulture experts have advised Telangana farmers to shift to less water-intensive crops such as vegetables, cereals, oilseeds and pulses and adopt integrated farming systems to improve profitability.
