Government has not announced a crop holiday, says Agriculture Minister
Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao stated that Opposition parties are spreading misinformation to mislead the farming community regarding water scarcity.
Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao stated on Saturday that the government has not announced a crop holiday, according to The Hindu.
The Minister said Opposition parties are spreading misinformation to mislead farmers. He explained that the government has only advised farmers to avoid water-intensive crops like paddy due to irrigation water scarcity and groundwater shortages caused by the El Nino phenomenon.
Nageswara Rao said the government is encouraging the cultivation of irrigated dry crops and integrated cropping as part of a comprehensive plan. He noted that the government has been informing farmers about weather conditions and groundwater levels every week for the last six months.
To prevent losses, the government is supplying seeds for alternative crops on subsidy. The Minister stated that officials are already surveying crop loss in 365 drought-affected mandals.
The government has supplied 28,460 quintals of groundnut, 26,847 quintals of bengalgram, 1,369 quintals of blackgram, 703 quintals of greengram, 200 quintals of sunflower, 174 quintals of safflower, and 148 quintals of sesamum on subsidy.