Choosing lower-water crops and varieties in a dry year

After a weak monsoon, the most important farming decision is often what not to sow. A water-hungry crop planted on hope can fail halfway and use water that towns also need.

What Telangana is saying (news). BusinessLine reported on 16 October 2026 that the Telangana government has urged farmers not to grow paddy this season because reservoir levels are critically low. The Agriculture Minister asked farmers to switch from paddy to pulses, which need less water. The Chief Minister said the Krishna basin held 72% less water than a year ago, and that state reservoirs held about 200 tmc against 462 tmc in a typical year. These figures are from a news report of official statements; we have not seen a state release yet.

How to choose. Start with the water you can count on: canal releases announced for your area, your borewell's yield, and the moisture already in your soil. Then check your District Agriculture Contingency Plan on the ICAR-CRIDA website, which suggests crops and varieties for your district when the weather goes wrong. ICAR told Parliament that 2,177 of the 2,593 varieties it released between 2014 and 2024 tolerate one or more stresses, such as drought. Your Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) can tell you which are available locally.

Before buying seed, check your state agriculture department's latest advisory and the IMD agromet bulletin for your district.

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