Parliament Question: Agriculture Distress due to Extreme Climate

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS’ WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS’ WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 409 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 21st JULY, 2026 AGRICULTURE DISTRESS DUE TO EXTREME CLIMATE 409. ADV GOWAAL KAGADA PADAVI: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण मं(cid:361)ी be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken note of the increasing agricultural distress caused by unpredictable rainfall, extreme heatwaves, falling groundwater levels, and climate change-related crop losses, particularly in drought-prone and tribal regions of the country; (b) the details of the measures being taken to support farmers facing rising fertilizer, diesel and irrigation costs; (c) whether any district-specific assessment has been conducted regarding the impact of climate variability on crop productivity and farmer incomes in vulnerable regions; and (d) the steps being taken by the Government to strengthen climate-resilient agriculture, improve water conservation and protect small and marginal farmers from recurring crop losses? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI RAM NATH THAKUR) (a) & (b) The Government is taking various measures to promote sustainable agricultural practices and effectively address the climate change-related challenges. The Government supports farmers by ensuring the availability of key fertilizers at affordable prices through price regulation and subsidy mechanisms. Government has also implemented Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme w.e.f. 01.04.2010 for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) Fertilizers. Under NBS policy, MRP of P&K fertilizers are decontrolled and companies are free to fix MRP as per their business dynamics at a reasonable level. Further, under Urea Subsidy Scheme, Govt ensures affordable urea availability to farmers by providing government subsidies covering production and freight costs, with urea sold at a fixed Maximum Retail Price (MRP). In addition, under the Soil Health & Fertility Scheme, assistance is provided to States for promoting Integrated Nutrient Management through the judicious use of fertilizers, thereby improving fertilizer use efficiency and promoting balanced nutrient application. Since the inception of the scheme (2014-15), 26.18 crore Soil Health Cards have been generated. Fertigation is being promoted through micro- irrigation systems under the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) Scheme. Fertigation enables the application of water-soluble fertilizers directly to the root zone through micro irrigation systems, ensuring precise and uniform nutrient delivery. This improves fertilizer use efficiency, reduces nutrient losses, and promotes judicious use of fertilizers. Since the inception of the scheme (2014-15), an area of 114.60 lakh hectares has been brought under micro-irrigation, benefitting about 100 lakh farmers. Further, as of the pre-monsoon 2026 assessment, the groundwater situation remains largely stable across the country. Out of 9,085 monitoring wells, 87.8% (7,977 wells) fall under the normal category. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is implementing Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Surakshaevam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) under which financial assistance is provided for the installation of standalone solar agricultural pumps, including the replacement of existing diesel agricultural pumps in off-grid areas where grid supply is not available. Against the sanctioned capacity of 13.07 lakh solar pumps, around 11.5 lakh solar pumps have been installed, benefiting an equivalent number of farmers. These installations have resulted in annual savings of around 793 million litres of diesel and reducing the cost of irrigation. All these measures help in reducing the cost of production. (c) & (d): The Government, through Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is implementing a project- National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) that studies the impact of climate change on agriculture, conducts district level risk and vulnerability assessment of agriculture. Under the project, risk and vulnerability assessment of agriculture to climate change has been carried out at district-level for 651 predominantly agricultural districts as per Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) protocols. 310 districts were identified as vulnerable out of which 109 districts have been categorized as ‘very high’ and 201 districts as ‘highly’ vulnerable. District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) for these 651 districts have also been prepared to address weather aberrations and recommending location specific climate resilient crops and varieties and management practices. To enhance resilience to climate variability, location-specific climate-resilient technologies, including the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), aerobic rice, direct-seeded rice, zero-till wheat, climate-resilient crop varieties, and in-situ crop residue management, are being demonstrated for adoption by farmers. Under NICRA, climate-resilient technologies are being demonstrated in 448 Climate Resilient Villages across 151 vulnerable districts in 28 States/UTs, supported by village-level seed banks and community nurseries to enhance farmers' resilience and ensure timely availability of quality seeds. Technical assistance is provided to small and marginal farmers to promote climate-resilient practices through Village Climate Risk Management Committees (VCRMCs), while capacity-building and training programmes are conducted under the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA). Further, to address the challenges of climate change, ICAR has released 2900 varieties during last 10 years (2014-2024), out of which 2661 varieties are tolerant to one or more biotic and/or abiotic stresses. In anticipation of El Niño conditions and their potential impact on the southwest monsoon, Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) has identified 262 vulnerable districts and States have updated the District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) in coordination with ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (ICAR-CRIDA). Further, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), along with the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS), provides comprehensive insurance coverage against crop losses arising from natural calamities and adverse weather events, thereby mitigating climate-related risks faced by farmers. As on 30.06.2026, a total of 92.68 crore farmer applications have been enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS). Further, since the inception of the schemes in 2016, 86% of the total unique farmer applications enrolled under PMFBY and RWBCIS have been from small and marginal farmers. *****