The impact of El Niño on India's southwest monsoon is now becoming clearly visible, with rainfall remaining 43 percent below normal so far. The monsoon is expected to stay weak until July 2, raising concerns over the kharif crop season.
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan shared this information on Tuesday after holding a meeting with state agriculture ministers, senior officials, district collectors from affected areas, and representatives of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Chouhan said 12 states are likely to face the strongest impact of El Niño. These include Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
According to the Agriculture Minister, current assessments indicate that 315 districts across the country may experience deficient rainfall. These districts have been classified into three categories based on irrigation coverage and vulnerability.
Of these, 111 districts have been identified as high-priority districts because less than 25 percent of their agricultural area is covered by irrigation facilities. Another 76 districts fall under the medium-priority category, with irrigation coverage ranging between 25 and 50 percent. The remaining 128 districts have been placed in the low-priority category as they have access to dams and other irrigation infrastructure.
To continuously monitor the situation, an El Niño Monitoring Cell and a Crop Watch Group have been established in New Delhi. State governments have also been advised to appoint nodal officers for regular coordination and assessment.
Chouhan said district-level contingency plans have been prepared to determine which crops can be cultivated if rainfall remains below normal. States have been urged to ensure efficient utilization of available water resources. Schemes such as MGNREGA (and later Viksit Bharat G RAM G) can also be utilised to support water conservation and management efforts.
The minister said that short-duration and climate-resilient crops have been identified as part of the preparedness strategy. Crop diversification has also been recommended, with pulses, coarse cereals and oilseeds being promoted because they require comparatively less water and can perform better under dry conditions.
He expressed confidence that sufficient rainfall would occur to support at least some level of crop cultivation and advised states to encourage farmers to adopt suitable alternative crops wherever necessary.
Chouhan further stated that adequate seed stocks are available across the country. Arrangements have also been made to provide seeds if re-sowing becomes necessary in affected districts. He said India's 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) will play a key role in ensuring seed availability and technical support to farmers.
The government has also put in place mechanisms to provide timely weather advisories to farmers. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Fertilizers has assured that sufficient quantities of fertilizers are available for the kharif season.
The minister added that efforts are being accelerated to bring farmers who do not possess Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) into the system so that they can also avail themselves of the benefits of the crop insurance scheme.