Parliament Question: Mitigating Rainfall Deficiency

O.I.H. GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1581 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 28TH JULY, 2026 MITIGATING RAINFALL DEFICIENCY †1581. SHRI RAKESH RATHOR: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं(cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य म(cid:287)ं ी be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has assessed the impact of below-normal rainfall in June 2026 on Kharif sowing and agricultural production, if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of rainfall deficiency, the status of Kharif sowing, and districts affected by the delayed monsoon, with specific details regarding the situation in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh State- wise; (c) the special steps taken by the Government to provide timely irrigation water to farmers in case of low rainfall; (d) whether any special provisions for drought-resistant seeds, irrigation assistance, and crop insurance have been made for the affected areas, if so, the details thereof; and (e) the Government's action plan to mitigate the adverse impact on farmers' income and agricultural production? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं(cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य म(cid:287)ं ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a) & (b): The sowing operations for Kharif 2026-27 are still underway, and the first advance estimates for all major Kharif crops in the 2026-27 agricultural year (July–June) have not yet been released. The Status of Kharif sowing as on 17.07.2026 is attached as Annexure – I. States and Districts wise rainfall in all States are available on Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)’s website https://mausam.imd.gov.in/ . Details of cumulative rainfall (from 01.06.2026 to 24.07.2026) in Sitapur District, of State of Uttar Pradesh is as under: - District Cumulative rainfall (From 01.06.2026 to 24.07.2026) Actual (Avg.) RF Normal (Avg.) RF % Departure from Normal (in mm) (in mm) Sitapur 168.7 343.5 -51 (c) & (d): 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 through installation 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 and other existing programmes across the country.A nationwide Khet Bachao Abhiyaan was organised during 1-30 June, 2026 in which 80,67300 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 districts categorised as vulnerable in view of the rainfall situation as forecast by the IMD. DA&FW has issued an advisory to the states (including Uttar Pradesh) and U.T. Administration to support pre-season planning for district level crop and variety selection, State level seed reserve of early maturing- short duration varieties under the National Seed Reserve (NSR) framework, activation of contingency seed reserves before monsoon onset and seed quality and quantity monitoring during peak demand. For the year 2026-27, an amount of 2684.72 Lakh has been approved under Annual Action Plan of Uttar Pradesh for the taking up the Interventions under National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM): Seed components. (e): Government of India has substantially enhanced the Budget allocation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) from Rs. 27,622.67 crore (BE) during 2013-14 to Rs. 1,40,416.57 crore (BE) during 2026-27. The various schemes/programmes of the Government of India meant for the welfare of farmers by increasing production, remunerative returns and income support are at Annexure-II. Action plan to mitigate the adverse impact on farmers' income and agricultural production due to deficient rainfall may be seen at Annexure-III.Annexure-I State-wise progress of weekly area coverage under Kharif crops as on 17.07.2026 Area: In lakh hactare Area Sown Increase(+)/ Normal Area Decrease(-) S. No. State (2020-21 to 2025 (As on 2026 (As on over Normal 2024-25) Corresponding 13.07.2026) Area week) 1 Andhra Pradesh 31.13 8.93 6.90 2.03 2 Assam 21.51 7.65 5.54 2.11 4 Bihar 35.63 15.66 8.92 6.74 5 Chhattisgarh 42.45 25.51 28.63 -3.12 6 Gujarat 73.97 38.16 46.56 -8.40 7 Haryana 27.64 19.14 21.62 -2.48 8 Himachal Pradesh 3.53 2.23 3.35 -1.12 9 Jharkhand 19.67 4.35 2.90 1.45 10 J&K 5.90 3.46 3.85 -0.39 11 Karnataka 78.96 40.23 52.14 -11.91 12 Madhya Pradesh 138.48 103.56 101.49 2.07 13 Maharashtra 157.49 114.28 129.72 -15.44 15 Odisha 44.88 8.66 12.86 -4.20 16 Punjab 35.04 30.90 31.71 -0.81 17 Rajasthan 130.75 91.90 106.38 -14.48 18 Tamil Nadu 24.12 4.20 4.60 -0.40 19 Telangana 50.90 24.19 23.76 0.43 20 Uttar pradesh 117.83 94.21 88.63 5.58 21 Uttarakhand 4.68 4.22 4.47 -0.25 22 West Bengal 48.28 9.64 9.76 -0.12 Total (20 major states) 1092.84 651.08 693.79 -42.71 Other States 11.61 7.11 6.68 0.43 All-India 1104.45 658.19 700.47 -42.28Annexure-II Schemes and Programmes implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare 1. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) 2. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY) 3. Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) 4. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) / Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) 5. Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) 6. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) 7. National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO) - Oil Palm 8. National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO) - Oilseeds 9. Mission for Atmanirbharta in Pulses 10. National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) 11. National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) 12. National Bee Keeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) 13. Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization (SMAM) 14. Sub-Mission on Agriculture Extension (SMAE) 15. Digital Agriculture Mission 16. National Bamboo Mission (NBM) 17. Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region 18. Soil Health & Fertility (SH&F) 19. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) 20. Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) 21. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana - Detailed Project Report (RKVY-DPR) 22. Crop Diversification Programme (CDP) 23. Rainfed Area Development (RAD) 24. Namo Drone Didi 25. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) 26. Formation and Promotion of 10,000 new Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs) 27. Agri Fund for Start-Ups & Rural Enterprises (AgriSURE) 28. Integrated Scheme for Agriculture Marketing (ISAM) 29. PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) 30. AgroforestryAnnexure-III Action plan to mitigate the adverse impact on farmers' income and agricultural production due to deficient rainfall 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. District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) have been updated for 14 States covering 342 Districts which have been forecast to receive below normal rainfall by the ICAR Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (ICAR-CRIDA) in consultation with the States for implementation. Interface meetings by ICAR have been conducted with 14 States, including Maharashtra, for operationalization of District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs). Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have also been issued by ICAR for Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) for mitigation of El Niño-related risks. 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. 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 in monsoon as well as the 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. In addition, 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. ******