Almost a month into the 2026 southwest monsoon season, with deficiency touching 43 per cent, the Central government on Tuesday identified 315 districts across the country that are likely to be impacted by low monsoon this year, of which 111, which have less than 25 per cent irrigation coverage, have been classified as ‘most vulnerable’.
Of the remaining districts, 76 have been categorised as ‘medium vulnerable’ (25-50 per cent irrigation coverage) and 128 as ‘least vulnerable’ (more than 50 per cent irrigation coverage).
A majority of the 111 ‘most vulnerable’ districts are in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh; the former accounts for 22 of them.
The decision to categorise the most severely impacted districts comes as the overall rainfall deficit from 1-23 June touched 43 per cent, although there have been visible signs of rain revival since Tuesday.
“As per IMD, weak monsoon conditions are likely to persist until 2 July, which could impact the kharif harvest, particularly crops requiring more water, namely paddy and maize,” Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters after a high-level meeting of state agriculture ministers, district collectors of the most vulnerable districts and senior Met department officials here on Tuesday.
He said that in the 111 identified ‘most vulnerable’ districts, special drives would ensure full crop insurance coverage, easier loan availability, adequate seeds for replanting, maximum utilisation of available water resources and fertiliser availability.
As of 22 June, sowing of kharif crops covered less than 10 per cent of the total sown area — marginally higher than the 11.79 million hectares recorded in the year-ago period, at 11.99 million hectares — with most crops tracking ahead except soybean.
The ministry has mapped 315 districts across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as likely to receive below-normal rainfall.
The ministry has drawn up state-wise contingency plans recommending alternative crops suited to deficient rainfall conditions. States have been directed to promote pulses, oilseeds and coarse cereals that require less water, and to encourage short-duration and climate-resilient seed varieties rather than dependence on a single crop.
“There is a gap in rainfall. We need to suggest alternative crops to farmers. We will not let farm fields remain empty,” the minister said. Seed and fertiliser availability is adequate for the season, he added. Reservoir levels are currently above last year’s level, though declining. States have been asked to use water judiciously and to clean ponds, streams, farm ponds and check dams under the VB-GRAM G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin) programme to preserve water for irrigation contingencies.
The ministry has called for extensive enrolment under crop insurance schemes and Kisan Credit Cards in the identified states.
The 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) have been asked to step up farmer outreach, with timely advisories to be disseminated via SMS, WhatsApp, call centres and other media.
On production estimates, Chouhan said the forecasts are based on normal conditions but affirmed, “We will ensure production does not fall.”
The ministry has set up an El Nino Monitoring Cell and a Crop Weather Watch Group for real-time tracking and advisory.
