El Niño unlikely to hurt kharif output much: Chouhan

The impact of El Niño on kharif production this year is unlikely to be significant, as the gap in sown area continues to narrow despite deficient rainfall in a few pockets, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference after an event, Chouhan said kharif crops have received adequate rainfall for growth in most parts of the country, bringing down the number of vulnerable districts from 262 to around 100.
“We don’t see a huge impact of El Niño except in some places. The situation by and large remains good. Rainfall was sufficient to meet the full water needs of the crops,” he said.

The lag in sown area, which stood at 11 per cent last week, has since narrowed and is expected to reduce further, the minister said. “We still have to review the situation as it is changing daily,” he added.
Asked about the effect of deficient rains on kharif output, Chouhan said, “As of now, we see no impact.” He noted that states such as Karnataka and Telangana were facing water shortages, but maintained that overall sowing had been good, with only localised impact expected.

The minister also said the Seeds Bill and the Pesticides Management Bill were ready in draft form and would be tabled in Parliament in the next session as part of the government’s agriculture sector reforms.
As of August 14, sowing of kharif crops had been completed on 92 per cent of the average sown area, with total sown area at 1,016.57 lakh hectares — 2 per cent lower than a year ago. Sowing, which typically gathers pace with the onset of the southwest monsoon in June, was delayed this year due to El Nino conditions.