Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu on Wednesday (August 26, 2026) said the Andhra Pradesh government had taken advance measures to protect kharif cultivation from the impact of severe rainfall deficit and El Niño conditions, claiming that its alternative cropping strategy had helped sustain agricultural activity across the State.

The Minister said Andhra Pradesh received only 192.8 mm of rainfall between the first week of June and August 25, against the normal 393.7 mm, recording a deficit of 51%. Despite the adverse conditions, kharif crops had been raised in 20.35 lakh hectares, he said.

Highlighting the shift towards less water-intensive crops, Mr. Atchannaidu said the area under pulses increased by 23.6%, from 2.16 lakh hectares by August 25 last year to 2.66 lakh hectares this year. The area under red gram rose from 1.92 lakh hectares to 2.30 lakh hectares, while black gram increased from 17,000 hectares to 30,000 hectares. Green gram and soybean also registered higher acreage.

Paddy continued to occupy the largest area at 10.37 lakh hectares, followed by red gram at 2.30 lakh hectares, groundnut at 1.37 lakh hectares and maize at one lakh hectares. Cotton acreage remained broadly stable at 3.97 lakh hectares, marginally higher than 3.96 lakh hectares last year.

The Minister said the government had begun preparing for a possible El Niño impact as early as February after receiving alerts from the Centre. District-wise drought mitigation and contingency plans were drawn up, particularly for Rayalaseema, Prakasam and Markapuram regions, with emphasis on promoting crops requiring less water.

He said the State had been implementing the “Raithanna Meekosam – El Niño Impact Mitigation Plan – Kharif 2026” programme across Andhra Pradesh since August 7.

Mr. Atchannaidu also highlighted a sharp expansion in crop insurance coverage. Insurance applications increased from 19.5 lakh in Kharif 2025 to 35.1 lakh in Kharif 2026, while the insured area rose from 7.83 lakh hectares to 15.1 lakh hectares—an increase of about 108%.

The number of applications from non-loanee farmers increased from about two lakh to 20.35 lakh, he said, adding that crops valued at around ₹13,983 crore had so far been brought under insurance coverage. Farmers enrolled under the voluntary insurance system pay only 2% of the premium, with the remaining amount shared by the Centre and the State, according to the Minister.

Launching a political attack on former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Mr. Atchannaidu alleged that the previous YSRCP government had failed to provide adequate crop insurance protection and had left premium dues of around ₹2,000 crore.

He said the present government had submitted a roadmap to the Centre for clearing the pending liabilities and had allocated ₹250 crore in the 2026-27 budget estimates, while also releasing the required premium amount into an escrow account to facilitate smooth registration of farmers for Kharif 2026.

“The coalition government’s objective is to ensure crop insurance protection and financial security for farmers’ families, particularly during adverse weather conditions,” the Minister said.