Andhra saw the El Niño drought coming in February, farmers still lost ₹20,000 an acre: Jagan
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YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. File | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Farmers in Andhra Pradesh who took up cultivation on the government’s assurances have lost ₹15,000 to more than ₹20,000 an acre and have been left without the protection of free crop insurance, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged on Thursday (September 17, 2026), blaming the State government’s failure to take timely preventive measures for aggravating the drought.
Addressing a video conference with party leaders, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the State was facing not merely an El Niño effect but a “yellow nino effect” (hinting at the colour of the TDP flag), alleging that the government had failed to respond adequately despite being aware of the possibility of deficient rainfall.
వైఎస్సార్సీపీ ప్రధాన కార్యదర్శులు, రీజనల్ కోఆర్డినేటర్లు, జిల్లా అధ్యక్షులతో శ్రీ వైయస్ జగన్ గారు వీడియో కాన్ఫరెన్స్. pic.twitter.com/GubJTAoWhY
He said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had warned as early as February 4 about the possibility of an El Niño impact, but “the action taken thereafter was zero”.
Mr. Jagan criticised the government for allegedly failing to declare drought-affected mandals despite rainfall deficiency in June, July and August. He said Karnataka had declared drought in advance, but the Andhra Pradesh government had failed to do so.
He alleged that the government had not prepared alternative seeds, supplied fodder to districts or sought additional workdays under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme despite the emerging drought conditions.
On irrigation, Mr. Jagan alleged that water from Srisailam was not released to Rayalaseema when it could have been made available and was instead released for power generation. He also alleged that the State government had remained silent while Telangana was constructing lift irrigation schemes upstream and downstream of Pulichintala.
He criticised the government over the Polavaram project, alleging that it was compromising on the project’s full reservoir level and, with it, the State’s intended water-storage capacity.
Mr. Jagan also alleged that the existing Pushkara and Purushothapatnam lift schemes were being operated and presented as new initiatives. He accused the government of “staging dramas in the name of lift schemes” while allegedly giving up storage capacity at Polavaram.
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