|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Centre reviews Kharif preparedness amid El Niño concerns
|
|
Thursday, 25 June, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Our Bureau, New Delhi
|
With the possibility of El Niño and a weak or uncertain monsoon this year, the Central Government has intensified its preparedness for the Kharif season. Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level virtual meeting with Agriculture Ministers of states, senior officials, District Collectors, experts from ICAR, ICAR-CRIDA and the India Meteorological Department to review the situation across the country. He assured farmers that the Centre and state governments are jointly undertaking all necessary measures to address any challenge.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Chouhan said that the southwest monsoon is significantly delayed this year and rainfall so far has been around 43 per cent below normal. According to IMD forecasts, rainfall is likely to remain weak even during the week ending July 2. This could directly affect Kharif crops, particularly in rainfed regions where agriculture is heavily dependent on monsoon rains. Keeping these risks in view, the Central Government, under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been making advance preparations for several days. Chouhan said the government is not waiting for conditions to deteriorate but is proactively implementing scientific planning and field-level interventions to minimise the impact and safeguard farmers' livelihoods.
Chouhan said that the Ministry of Agriculture and ICAR jointly assessed districts vulnerable to low rainfall and inadequate irrigation based on scientific data. Around 315 districts have been identified as potentially affected by weak monsoon conditions. Of these, 111 districts have been categorised as high priority, where irrigation coverage is below 25 per cent. Another 76 districts fall under the medium-priority category with irrigation coverage between 25 and 50 per cent, while 128 districts have been classified as low priority owing to relatively better irrigation facilities through dams and other sources. A majority of these districts are located across 12 states—Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Detailed discussions were held with Agriculture Ministers and District Collectors of these states, and they were urged to expedite preparedness at the local level.
Chouhan informed that ICAR and ICAR-CRIDA have prepared District Agriculture Contingency Plans for all districts. These plans incorporate district-specific climatic conditions, cropping patterns, water resources and risk factors and prescribe measures such as suitable alternative crops under low rainfall conditions, crop diversification strategies, optimum use of available water resources and additional income opportunities to mitigate risks. He directed states and district administrations to ensure that DACPs do not remain confined to files but are translated into actionable field plans. The plans should be reviewed and updated according to local conditions and kept ready as operational documents for immediate implementation whenever required. He emphasised that the success of any contingency plan depends on effective implementation at the grassroots level and urged district administrations to execute them with full commitment.
Water conservation has been accorded top priority amid the possibility of a weak monsoon. Chouhan said every drop of water is precious and planning is being carried out with that objective. He directed that ponds, reservoirs, streams, farm ponds, check dams, stop dams and temporary bunding structures be repaired and strengthened immediately. Water conservation and harvesting works under MGNREGA and forthcoming rural development programmes such as VB-GRAMG should receive priority so that employment generation and enhancement of water storage capacity can go hand in hand. Sensitive districts have been advised to accord top priority to drinking water supply and, if necessary, arrange water transfer from surplus regions to deficit areas. Basin-wise reservoir storage positions were also reviewed during the meeting. While some basins have storage levels above normal, others are witnessing deficits ranging from 20 to 60 per cent. States have been asked to prioritise interventions accordingly.
The Union Minister said changing crop strategy in rainfed areas has become the need of the hour. States have been advised to promote short-duration crop varieties and those capable of delivering higher yields with lower water requirements. Farmers have been encouraged to adopt crop diversification to reduce dependence on a single crop and distribute risks across multiple crops. Intercropping and mixed farming practices are also being promoted to ensure that if one crop is affected, farmers can still generate income from others. Special emphasis has been laid on pulses, Shri-Anna and oilseeds, which perform relatively better under limited moisture conditions. States have also been advised to switch immediately to alternative crop options if there is a prolonged gap between the normal sowing period and the onset of rainfall. "We will not allow fields to remain vacant. There will be sufficient rainfall for some crop to be cultivated, and our preparations are aligned accordingly," Chouhan said.
Providing details regarding availability of agricultural inputs, Chouhan said adequate seed arrangements for the Kharif season have already been made. Additional seed stocks have been earmarked for potentially affected districts. Around one per cent extra seed stock has been reserved specifically for districts where resowing may become necessary. According to reports from the Ministry of Fertilisers, the availability of all major fertilisers, including urea, DAP, MOP, NPK and SSP, is satisfactory for the Kharif season. Separate monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure timely distribution and delivery in districts vulnerable to weak monsoon conditions so that farmers can undertake sowing immediately when weather conditions become favourable. The Minister stressed that sowing should be undertaken only after cumulative rainfall of 75–100 mm and adequate soil moisture. Premature sowing after light rainfall increases the risk of seed damage and resowing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|