Cultivation of alternative crops in paddy fields will be challenging taskPaddy farmers in Telangana are finding it difficult to shift to alternative crops despite the government's advisory due to the El Nino threat. However, paddy farmers are at a crossroads as they can neither cultivate paddy nor opt for an alternative crop. Agreeing that paddy fields would not support the cultivation of alternative crops, District Agriculture Officer (DAO), Sangareddy, K Shivaprasad said farmers could cultivate maize, jowar and black gram as early Yasangi crops. If they opt for alternative crops in paddy fields, they would have to restrict themselves to only one crop. Farmer Sangamesh from Medak said they were not sure whether alternative crops would survive in paddy fields.