The Centre on Tuesday, 23 June rolled out a special agricultural contingency plan covering 315 vulnerable districts across 12 states, responding to fears that an El Niño weather pattern could sustain a weak southwest monsoon and severely damage kharif crops this season. Rainfall so far has run approximately 43 per cent below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), with no significant recovery expected through the week ending 2 July.

Key Developments

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level virtual meeting with state Agriculture Ministers, senior officials, and experts from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), ICAR-CRIDA, and the IMD to assess ground conditions and coordinate a national response.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Chouhan said the southwest monsoon is significantly delayed this year and that the rainfall deficit is placing rainfed agricultural regions — which depend almost entirely on seasonal rains — under acute stress.

How the 315 Districts Are Classified

Of the 315 districts identified as potentially at risk, 111 have been designated high priority, with irrigation coverage below 25 per cent. A further 76 districts fall under the medium-priority bracket, with irrigation coverage between 25 and 50 per cent. The remaining 128 districts are classified as low priority, benefiting from relatively better access to dams and other irrigation infrastructure.

The bulk of these districts are spread across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. Agriculture Ministers and District Collectors from these states were urged to accelerate local-level preparedness, Chouhan said.

What the Contingency Plan Prescribes

ICAR and ICAR-CRIDA have prepared district-specific agriculture contingency plans factoring in local climatic conditions, cropping patterns, water resources, and risk profiles. These plans recommend switching to short-duration, drought-tolerant crop varieties, diversifying into pulses, millets (Shri Anna), and oilseeds — all of which perform better under limited moisture — and optimising available water use.

Water conservation has been accorded top priority. Chouhan directed that ponds, reservoirs, farm ponds, check dams, stop dams, and temporary embankment structures be repaired and reinforced immediately under the MGNREGA and VB-GRAMG schemes. Districts under stress have also been advised to prioritise drinking water supply and, where necessary, arrange transfers from water-surplus regions.

Inputs, Insurance, and Farmer Support

On the supply side, Chouhan said adequate seed stocks for the kharif season are already in place, with additional reserves earmarked for the most vulnerable districts. Fertiliser availability — including urea, DAP, MOP, NPK, and SSP — is described as satisfactory. Advance fodder supply plans are also being prepared to counter the risk of livestock shortages if the monsoon remains deficient.

The government is pushing for expanded enrolment under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in at-risk districts to ensure timely crop-loss compensation. States have been directed to fast-track the issuance of Kisan Credit Cards to eligible farmers to cover seed losses, resowing costs, and other emergency agricultural expenditure.

The country's 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras have been tasked with delivering real-time scientific advisories to farmers via SMS, WhatsApp, call centres, radio, television, and social media. With the monsoon's trajectory still uncertain, the effectiveness of these ground-level networks could prove decisive for millions of farming households dependent on the season's outcome.