The government is preparing seeds and fertilizers for Kharif 2026

Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu is holding a review meeting with officials at the secretariat on Monday. | Photo credit: ARRANGEMENT

The Agriculture Department is ready for the Kharif-2026 season with comprehensive plans to protect farmers from the possible impact of El Nino, Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu said on Monday.

After reviewing the Kharif preparedness through a virtual meeting with senior officials of the Agriculture Department, Joint Directors and District Agriculture Officers at the Amaravati Secretariat, the Minister said that the government has drawn up a preliminary action plan to ensure that farmers do not face hardship due to potential rainfall deficits related to El Nino conditions.

Mr. Atchannaidu said that adequate stocks of seeds and fertilizers were available across the state and assured that strict monitoring mechanisms were in place to prevent any shortage of urea. He directed the officials to closely monitor the stock of fertilizers in the districts and ensure that the physical availability matches the official records.

He warned against misuse and illegal transportation of fertilizers and said that strict action would be taken against dealers violating the norms. For greater transparency in urea distribution, the government plans to introduce a special urea card system that will enable farmers to access fertilizers based on actual requirements, the minister said.

The minister cautioned farmers against hoarding urea and emphasized balanced use, suggesting initial application of urea followed by nanourea in later stages. He said nanourea has given encouraging results to many farmers.

Mr. Atchannaidu instructed the officials to create drought preparedness awareness at the village level, encourage direct seeding wherever possible and promote sustainable farming practices including natural farming, mixed cropping and intercropping. The meeting was attended by senior officials including Special Principal Secretary Agriculture Budithi Rajasekhar.

Published – 18 May 2026 23:50 IST