El Nino: Agri Min Chouhan directs officials to prepare advance contingency plans for rain-deficient districts

With several districts across the country likely to receive below normal rains due to the El Nino disruption, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday held a high-level review meeting with officials at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi.

During the meeting Chouhan directed officials to ensure advance contingency planning for districts that are likely to receive low rainfall or uneven distribution of rains during Monsoon 2026.

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El Nino is a climate phenomenon due to abnormal warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, disrupting India’s Southwest Monsoon.

The anomaly could lead to weakened monsoon winds, delayed rainfall onset, and increased probabilities of drought in the Indian subcontinent.

In view of this, Chouhan stressed the need for advance contingency planning in rain-deficient districts, while also pushing for increased acreage under cotton and pulses.

“Such districts should be identified, and crop-wise contingency plans should be prepared in collaboration with state governments, so that in the event of any weather-related challenge, farmers can be immediately provided with alternatives, advice, and assistance,” Chouhan said.

While reviewing the crop-wise targets, sowing progress, and state-wise preparations for Kharif 2026, there was a special discussion on increasing cotton production.

“Emphasis was placed on promoting measures such as scientific methods, selection of appropriate varieties, intercropping, mulching, and moisture conservation on a large scale, so that both cotton productivity and farmers’ income can increase,” the minister said in a post on X.

There was also a detailed discussion on the Pulses Self-Reliance Mission.

“Our effort is to make the country increasingly self-reliant in pulses like pigeon pea, black gram, and green gram, and to secure farmers’ income,” said the minister.

The government is already preparing for a weaker monsoon due to the El Nino phenomenon.

India is better positioned to withstand the impact of a potentially weak monsoon and emerging El Nino conditions this year, backed by higher reservoir levels, record foodgrain stocks and structural improvements in the economy.

Reservoir storage levels stood at 30.4 per cent of full reservoir capacity in May 2026, higher than the average 25.1 per cent recorded during previous El Nino years between 2015-16 and 2023-24, according to the latest data.