No major impact of El Nino on agricultural production: Chouhan

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) said the country’s rainfall deficit is currently around 12%, but it is unlikely to impact crop production. Addressing reporters after a two-day national agricultural conference on Rabi crops here, the Minister ruled out any “major crisis” at the national level due to the prevailing El Nino situation.

However, he announced that the Union government has set a foodgrain production target of 373.93 million tonne for 2026-27, which is 2.63 million tonne less than the actual production of 376.56 million tonne in 2025-26.

Mr. Chouhan said that while maintaining the Kharif harvest will be better than last year, the new target is based on a scientific assessment of El Nino conditions including a target of 177.72 million tonne for the Rabi season. While the actual production in 2025-26 was 376.56 million tonne, the target was 362 million tonne.

Zero import duty

The Minister said the Centre will hold discussions with States to inform the farmers about the benefits of various free trade agreements. Maintaining that several international markets will be accessible to Indian agricultural products at zero import duty, he said it is important that farmers know which products are in demand abroad and what quality standards they must meet to be eligible for export.

“To bridge this gap, the Centre will launch an awareness campaign covering global market opportunities, products covered under the FTAs, export-quality requirements, and the crops, fruits and vegetables that can be cultivated for overseas markets,” he said.

On the recent Union government decision to cut import duties on various edible oils, he said the Union government will have to balance between farmers’ and consumer interests. “We need to ensure that people in the country get edible oil at a reasonable price,” he said.

Water-guzzling crops

The Minister said the aim is to avoid water-intensive crops in areas that have received low rainfall and where reservoir levels and soil moisture are low. “Instead, we intend to cultivate crops like pulses and oilseeds in those regions. These targets have been determined with these considerations in mind,” he said.

Mr. Chouhan added that there is no shortage of fertilisers in the country, and sufficient supplies will be available for the upcoming Rabi season. He said although Kharif acreage has declined for some crops, the overall sown area remains broadly comparable to last year.

“The rainfall deficit currently stands at around 12%, while a situation is generally considered a drought only when the shortfall exceeds 20% over the relevant period. I do not believe that production will be significantly impacted by this level of deficit,” he said.

The Minister said States like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Rajasthan are facing a drought-like situation. “Detailed reports from the States are still awaited,” he said adding that a Central team will visit Karnataka on October 3.