The Government of India has intensified comprehensive preparedness measures to address monsoon uncertainty and potential El Niño impact on the Kharif season. Under leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is implementing a multi-pronged strategy to protect farmers from monsoon challenges.
After recording a 33% rainfall deficit in June, the monsoon situation has shown improvement in July with the overall deficit narrowing to 24%. This improvement has resulted in the number of rainfall-deficient districts declining from 262 to 178 across the country. The Centre is maintaining close monitoring of the situation in 13 states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, and Odisha.
Kharif sowing has been completed over 350.85 lakh hectares, which is approximately 91.95 lakh hectares lower than the corresponding period last year. The delayed monsoon onset has particularly affected soybean and cotton sowing. Farmers have been advised to cultivate short-duration and low water-intensive crops such as maize, Bajra, and Moong to minimize the impact of delayed rainfall.
The Government initiated preparations as early as April, developing contingency plans in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for likely affected districts. Under the 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' conducted in June, more than 1.24 lakh programs were organized across the country, directly reaching over 80 lakh farmers.
To ensure uninterrupted sowing operations, the Government maintains a national seed reserve of approximately 1.75 lakh quintals. The Kisan Credit Card campaign has been intensified with more than 94,000 applications approved out of 1.14 lakh applications received by June 30. Efforts are being intensified to increase farmers' participation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to ensure financial protection against crop losses due to adverse weather.
An extensive monitoring mechanism including the El Niño Monitoring Cell, Crop Weather Watch Group, State-level Control Rooms, and designated officers is continuously tracking monsoon progress, crop sowing, crop conditions, and market trends. The Government expressed confidence that rainfall would gain further momentum during July, leading to acceleration in Kharif sowing operations.