Amaravati, Sep 20 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday directed officials to protect farmers from El Nino while keeping essential commodity prices under control.
Reviewing an action plan to tackle El Nino during a teleconference, the CM directed officials to implement the measures as planned and underscored that the weather phenomenon was affecting all sectors, not just farmers.
“We have anticipated El Nino conditions in advance. Everybody should work as per the advance plan… Shield farmers from the effects of El Nino and at the same time rein in the rise of prices,” the CM said in a press release.
Naidu directed officials to keep the prices of rice, onions, palmolein and other essential commodities under control.
Reviewing rice stocks available in warehouses, he said they should be released into the market to bring down prices.
Noting that onions were being procured from various places to control prices, the TDP supremo called for onion cultivation based on market demand in the future.
The CM called for cultivating crops based on market demand and said crop insurance would compensate farmers in the event of crop losses.
He called for encouraging ‘kitchen gardens’ in the southern state by involving self-help groups in growing vegetables.
According to the CM, encouraging and institutionalising ‘kitchen gardens’ could help keep vegetable prices under control.
Treating El Nino as a challenge, Naidu called on officials and public representatives to work with farmers and other stakeholders to address its effects.
El Nino is a natural climate pattern in which sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become significantly warmer than average. PTI STH SSK
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