Parliament Question: Evaluation of adverse effect of El Nino

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3848 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11TH AUGUST, 2026 EVALUATION OF ADVERSE EFFECT OF EL NINO 3848. SHRI Y S AVINASH REDDY: 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 it is a fact that there will be the impact of El Nino effect on the rainfall in the current year and also the next year in the country; (b) if so, whether the Government has evaluated the adverse effect of these climatic conditions on the farmers in the country on the basis of the crop grown and also the region; (c) whether the Government has taken any measures to protect the farmers and their crops from the acute shortage of rainfall by way of Crop Insurance, Input Subsidy, Providing MSP to the crop etc.; and (d) if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a): The effect of El Nino and it’s impact on the rainfall in the country has been provided at IMD’s webpage as: https://mausam.imd.gov.in/imd_latest/contents/enso_bulletin.php . (b) to (d): The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is continuously monitoring the evolving monsoon situation and the possible impact of El Niño conditions on agriculture in close coordination with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), various Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) institutions, ICAR- Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Central Water Commission (CWC), Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), the Department of Fertilisers (DoF) and State Governments. Further, the Government has undertaken the following measures: i. District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) have been updated for 15 States covering 342 Districts which are likely to receive below normal rainfall by the ICAR Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (ICAR-CRIDA) in consultation with the States for implementation. Further, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have also been issued by ICAR for Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) for mitigation of El Niño-related risks. ii. Weekly meeting of the Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG) is being held with the representatives of India Meteorological Department (IMD), Central Water Commission (CWC), Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), Indian Council of Agriculture Research - CentralResearch Institute for Dryland Agriculture (ICAR - CRIDA), Department of Fertilizers, Department of Food & Public Distribution and the State Governments to review rainfall situation, reservoir storage, groundwater levels, crop sowing, input availability, market situation and pest/ disease incidence for timely intervention. Meeting with State Agriculture Secretaries and Relief Commissioners held under the chairmanship of Secretary (DA&FW) on 27.04.2026 to review availability of inputs like seeds, fodder, drinking & irrigation water, fertilizers and general preparedness. Further, a meeting of the Crisis Management Group had been conducted on 17.06.2026 to assess and strengthen preparedness for the monsoon. In addition, the National Disaster Management Authority has also reviewed the preparedness of below-normal rainfall conditions emanating from the likely impact of the El Nino conditions on 19th June 2026. Review of the situation has been undertaken by the Agriculture Minister, Government of India with the State Agriculture Ministers for Kharif preparedness amid El Nino conditions on 23.06.2026. iii. Adequate availability of seeds has been ensured, against the demand of 172.80 lakh quintals from the States, there was availability of 192.25 lakh quintals of Kharif crop seeds. States have maintained 1% seeds i.e. 1.74 Lakh quintals as National Seed Reserve. iv. Special emphasis has been laid on promoting crop diversification, promotion of short-duration and drought-tolerant crop varieties, balanced use of fertilizers, water conservation practices, micro-irrigation, mulching, inter-cropping and practices of other climate-resilient technologies. Due to the delay as well as the likelihood on adverse impact of El Nino conditions, sowing is likely to be affected in respect of Tur, Soybean and Cotton and accordingly, the advisories to the farmers have been given to sow Maize, Bajra and Moong, and other short duration crops. v. A nationwide Khet Bachao Abhiyaan was organised during 1-30 June, 2026 in which 80,67,300 farmers participated in 1,14,567 programmes which were organised to promote water conservation, introduce efficient irrigation and climate- resilient farming practices. Simultaneously, an intensive Kisan Credit Card (KCC) saturation drive and awareness campaign under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is being implemented in the vulnerable districts. vi. As per the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM), the State Government is primarily responsible for providing necessary relief measures at the ground level in the wake of notified calamities. The State Governments undertake relief measures in the wake of natural calamities from funds available in the form of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) in accordance with the approved guidelines. Additional financial assistance, over and above SDRF, is considered from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), as per laid down procedure, in case of disaster of ‘severe nature’, which includes an assessment based on the visit of an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT). The financial assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief and not for compensation of losses suffered/ claimed. The financial assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief and not for compensation of losses suffered/ claimed. The details of fund allocation under SDRF State-wise during 2026-27 to 2030-31 (under the XVIth Finance Commission) as provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs is given at Annexure. vii. The Central Water Commission and State Governments have been advised to undertake advance planning for optimum utilization of reservoir water and promote efficient irrigation practices. Assistance to farmers is available through ongoing schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana: Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) with a focus on enhancing water-use efficiency at the farm level throughinstallation of Micro-Irrigation systems. Department of Rural Development is utilising Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB G Ram G) funds for rejuvenating water structures – such as farm ponds, check dams, canal desilting, and bori bandhans – to trap every drop of early or residual rainfall. Further, as part of the climate resilient agricultural practices, the Department is also implementing various Schemes viz. the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Integrated Scheme on Oilseeds Mission, Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses and other existing programmes across the country. viii. Under PMFBY during the Kharif 2026 season, 1,54,37,290 farmers have been enrolled upto 07.08.2026. The enrolment is still continuing during this Kharif season. ix. Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Campaign: A special campaign for saturation was launched during June 2026 to expand farmers' access to institutional credit, covering all drought-prone districts with the support of banks, State Level Bankers' Committees (SLBCs), and State Governments through digital platforms. As on 07.08.2026, a total of 5,10,195 KCC applications were received, of which 4,86,959 were sanctioned. This campaign is continuing as on date. x. As per the 23rd instalment under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM- KISAN), 9,54,11,630 Crores of farmers have been provided support through a total of Rs. 91,111.69 Crores fund release.Annexure Annexure referred in reply to Part (c) & (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3848 due for reply on 11.08.2026 State-wise Annual SDRF Allocation (In Rs. crore) State 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 Total Andhra Pradesh 1,182 1,241 1,303 1,368 1,439 6,533 Arunachal 99 104 109 114 121 547 Pradesh Assam 843 885 929 975 1,028 4,660 Bihar 2,628 2,759 2,897 3,042 3,196 14,522 Chhattisgarh 479 503 528 554 582 2,646 Goa 22 23 24 25 25 119 Gujarat 1,633 1,715 1,801 I ,891 1,982 9,022 Haryana 564 592 622 653 686 3,117 Himachal Pradesh 431 453 476 500 524 2,384 Jharkhand 542 569 597 627 658 2,993 Karnataka 1,239 1,301 1,366 1,434 1,507 6,847 Kerala 374 393 413 434 450 2,064 Madhya Pradesh 2,258 2,371 2,490 2,615 2,743 12,477 Maharashtra 5,718 6,004 6,304 6,619 6,952 31,597 Manipur 42 44 46 48 50 230 Meghalaya 70 74 78 82 84 388 Mizoram 46 48 50 53 55 252 Nagaland 66 69 72 76 79 362 Odisha 1,718 1,804 1,894 1,989 2,088 9,493 Punjab 478 502 527 553 582 2,642 Rajasthan 1,778 1,867 1,960 2,058 2,162 9,825 Sikkim 73 77 81 85 88 404 Tamil Nadu 1,638 1,720 1,806 1,896 1,991 9,051 Telangana 536 563 591 621 648 2,959 Tripura 57 60 63 66 70 316 Uttar Pradesh 2,957 3,105 3,260 3,423 3,597 16,342 Uttarakhand 797 837 879 923 967 4,403 West Bengal 1,326 1,392 1,462 1,535 1,611 7,326 Total 29,594 31,075 32,628 34,259 35,965 1,63,521 Source: Ministry of Home Affairs *******