India makes contingency plans as weak monsoon threatens some farm areas

India has drawn up contingency plans for over 300 districts vulnerable to a weak monsoon, as the country prepares to mitigate the impact on crops and water sources.

India has drawn up contingency plans for more than 300 districts which are vulnerable to a weak monsoon as ‌it steps up preparations for the summer-sown season to minimise the impact on crops, its farm minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday.

The monsoon has so far brought rains about 43% below average, and the weather office has ‌forecast weak rains through the week ending July 2, Chouhan told reporters after chairing a meeting with state ‌farm ministers, officials and scientists. The India Meteorological Department defines average, or normal, rainfall as between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 87 cm (35 inches) for the June-September monsoon season. The state-run weather office last month forecast an El Niño-weakened monsoon in 2026 ⁠that ​would mean the lowest ⁠rainfall in 11 years. The monsoon delivers about 70% of the annual rains in the world's most populous nation of 1.4 billion people ⁠and is critical for replenishing water sources in India, where nearly half of farmland lacks irrigation and about half the ​population relies on farming for its livelihood. Although poor monsoon rains may hit farm incomes, India has ample stocks ⁠of staples such as rice and wheat.

Millions of farmers begin planting crops such as rice, corn, cotton, soybeans and sugarcane during ⁠the ​rainy months of June and July, and a delayed or patchy monsoon can cut crop yields, dragging down rural incomes. The government has classified 111 of the 315 districts as high priority because less than a ⁠quarter of their farmland is irrigated, while another 76 have been designated medium priority, the minister said.

States have been ⁠advised to encourage farmers ⁠in rain-fed areas to shift to short-duration and less water-intensive crops such as pulses, millets and oilseeds. The government has also asked states to repair ponds, check dams and ‌other water-harvesting structures ‌and prioritise water conservation works, he said.