Govt identifies 197 districts most vulnerable to El Nino impact, prepares contingency plan
India has identified 197 districts as most vulnerable to El Nino and prepared state-wise contingency plans, while also running a farmer outreach campaign and stockpiling seeds and other farm inputs.
India's agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says the government has identified 197 districts as the most vulnerable to the impact of El Nino. The Economic Times reports that state-wise contingency plans have already been prepared in case weather risks intensify. The issue is being treated as a major agricultural threat for the current season.
Chouhan said the ministry is also running a nationwide farmer awareness campaign called Khet Bachao Abhiyan. In parallel, officials are holding weekly meetings to monitor the El Nino situation. He added that necessary agricultural inputs, including seeds, have been stockpiled so the government can respond quickly if conditions worsen.
The minister said each state now has its own contingency plan and that authorities intend to leave no stone unturned in responding. The article notes that El Nino has historically been associated with weaker monsoons and greater rainfall uncertainty. In a country where farming outcomes depend heavily on monsoon distribution, that creates a direct production risk.
India's meteorological department has forecast the southwest monsoon at about 90 percent of the long-period average, signalling a below-normal season. Officials warned that crop risks could escalate if El Nino conditions intensify in the latter half of the monsoon. That is why the government is linking climate monitoring with pre-positioned agricultural measures.
The report also gives a timeline for the season's advance. The southwest monsoon set in over Kerala on June 4 and has been moving northward since then. At the time of publication, rainfall coverage was estimated at 20 to 30 percent of the country, with full coverage expected around July 15. Those milestones matter for farm planning in the identified high-risk districts.