You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.
Your active subscription(s)
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Products you've access to
Additional Subscription Benefits
Need help with your subscription?
Updated - November 04, 2026 08:56 pm IST - CHITTOOR / MADANAPALLE
A tomato farmer shows his damaged produce allegedly affected by El Niño conditions, at Kosuvaripalle in Annamayya district. | Photo Credit: File photo
Even after two back-to-back cyclones lashed the Andhra coast, parched fields in Chittoor and Annamayya tell a tale of acute moisture deficit, water and mounting debt.
For thousands of farming families across Chittoor and Annamayya districts, these storms haven’t washed away a deeply suffocating dry spell. With seasonal rainfall below the average, groundwater tables are under severe strain, and the crucial rabi sowing window is fast approaching.
In Annamayya district, farming communities received 288.5 mm of rain against a normal quota of 549.1 mm between June 1 and November 3, marking a severe deficit of 47.5%. Groundnut and redgram heavily dominate the agricultural landscape here, accounting for nearly 75 per cent of the total cropped area.
The kharif sowing season exposed extreme vulnerability, with Annamayya achieving only 36 per cent of its normal sowing area, making the region the worst-affected district across the entire state.
Chittoor district recorded 431.8 mm of rain against a normal expectation of 637.3 mm, resulting in a shortfall of 32.2 per cent during the same period. Although Cyclone Arnab brought some surprise October rain to parts of Chittoor, the overall seasonal deficit across the district remains substantial.
Cyclone Murasu, meanwhile, has completely dumped its fury squarely on coastal belts. The immediate interior parts of Chittoor and Annamayya districts remain desperately parched, leaving the prospects of the rabi season in a dilemma.
Essential crops like Bengal gram and pulses demand robust soil moisture, but the drying borewells and receding tank storage threaten to push sowing deep into crisis.
A senior scientist at YSR Horticulture University campus at Anantarajupeta in Tirupati district said that the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flagged the persistence of a strong to very strong El Niño stretching through January-March 2027. “Such conditions cast a long, unpredictable shadow over routine agrarian planning. Farmers are urging immediate administrative intervention, calling for aggressive groundwater monitoring, robust drinking water contingency frameworks, and expedited crop insurance payouts,” he said.
Published - November 04, 2026 07:14 pm IST
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
