There is a decrease in the cropping area to the extent of 1.20 lakh hectares in the state due to delay in monsoon, revenue minister N Raghuveera Reddy has said.
Raghuveera, who also holds the portfolio for disaster management, held a video conference along with agriculture minister Kanna Lakshimnarayana and municipal administration minister M Mahidhar Reddy with district collectors on seasonal conditions in the state on Thursday.
Shortage of 3 lakh tonnes of fodder was brought to the notice of the ministers who asked officials concerned to encourage cultivation of fodder to overcome the deficit and assured to look into alternative arrangements.
Raguhveera Reddy said that though there had been deficiency in rainfall in four districts _ Nizamabad, Nalgonda, Anantapur and Vishakapatnam _ none of those districts fell within the parameters of the central government to be eligible for getting declared as drought- hit. He said monsoon conditions were near-normal and every effort was being made to supply drinking water in rural areas. Rs 45 crore has been already allocated to RWS. He assured all needed help from the disaster management department in case of crisis.
Agriculture minister Kanna Lakshminarayana said officials were asked to prepare contingency plans in case there were no expected rains by August 15. “We are informed that there are good inflows into the Almatti dam in Karnataka.’’