Hyderabad, July 18 -- Telangana minister G Vivek Venkataswamy on Saturday, July 18, cautioned farmers in Medak district against cultivating water-intensive crops such as paddy this season, citing forecasts of below-normal rainfall due to the El Nino effect, and advised them to switch to less water-consuming alternatives.

Venkataswamy, who holds the Labour, Employment, Training, Factories, Mines and Geology portfolio, was addressing an awareness programme titled "El Nino Weather Conditions and Alternative Crops" at the Rythu Vedika in Chegunta, where agriculture officials and scientists briefed farmers on rainfall patterns and suitable crops.

He said forecasts indicated below-normal rainfall in Telangana over the next three months, and t...