New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) The Central government on Tuesday unveiled a special contingency plan amid concerns over a possible El Nino weather phenomenon that could lead to a weak monsoon this year and adversely impact the kharif crop in 315 vulnerable districts in the country.

Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level virtual meeting with state Agriculture Ministers, senior officials, experts from the ICAR, ICAR-CRIDA, and the India Meteorological Department to review the situation across the country.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Chouhan said that the southwest monsoon is significantly delayed this year, and rainfall so far has been around 43 per cent below normal. According to IMD forecasts, rainfall is likely to remain weak even during the week ending July 2. This could directly affect kharif crops, particularly in rainfed regions where agriculture is heavily dependent on monsoon rains.

The minister said that around 315 districts have been identified that could be potentially affected by weak monsoon conditions. Of these, 111 districts have been categorised as high priority, where irrigation coverage is below 25 per cent. Another 76 districts fall under the medium-priority category with irrigation coverage between 25 and 50 per cent, while 128 districts have been classified as low priority owing to relatively better irrigation facilities through dams and other sources. A majority of these districts are located across 12 states—Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. Detailed discussions were held with Agriculture Ministers and District Collectors of these states, and they were urged to expedite preparedness at the local level, he said.

Chouhan informed that the ICAR and ICAR-CRIDA have prepared District Agriculture Contingency Plans for all districts. These plans incorporate district-specific climatic conditions, cropping patterns, water resources and risk factors and prescribe measures such as suitable alternative crops under low rainfall conditions, crop diversification strategies, optimum use of available water resources and additional income opportunities to mitigate risks.

Water conservation has been accorded top priority amid the possibility of a weak monsoon. He directed that ponds, reservoirs, streams, farm ponds, check dams, stop dams, and temporary embankment structures be repaired and strengthened immediately under MGNREGA and VB-GRAMG schemes.

Sensitive districts have been advised to accord top priority to drinking water supply and, if necessary, arrange water transfer from surplus regions to deficit areas.

States have been advised to promote short-duration crop varieties and those capable of delivering higher yields with lower water requirements. Special emphasis has been laid on pulses, ‘Shri Anna’ (millets) and oilseeds, which perform relatively better under limited moisture conditions, he said.

Providing details regarding the availability of agricultural inputs, Chouhan said adequate seed arrangements for the kharif season have already been made. Additional seed stocks have been earmarked for potentially affected districts. The availability of all major fertilisers, including urea, DAP, MOP, NPK and SSP, is satisfactory for the kharif season.

Highlighting the importance of timely scientific advisories, Chouhan said the country’s 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras serve as the principal link for delivering technical guidance and crop management information to farmers through SMS and WhatsApp messages, call centres, radio and television broadcasts, and social media platforms.

The minister said a severely weak monsoon could lead to fodder shortages for livestock. To address this possibility, advance supply plans are being prepared to transport fodder from surplus regions to deficit areas.

The Union Minister emphasised that special focus is being placed on expanding coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in potentially affected districts to ensure timely compensation in the event of crop losses. States have been directed to expedite issuance of Kisan Credit Cards to eligible farmers so that they have adequate resources to deal with seed losses, resowing and other agricultural investments.

–IANS

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