Rainfall 43% deficit so far, kharif crops likely to be hit: Government

📌 Summary:

• Cumulative all-India monsoon rainfall is about 43% below normal so far; Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said kharif crops are likely to be hit
• 315 districts are likely affected — 111 "high priority" (irrigation coverage ≤25%), 76 "medium" (25-50%), 128 "low"; the bulk lie across 12 states (MP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu)
• IMD forecasts only 90% of the Long Period Average for the season — potentially the driest monsoon in over a decade; 26 of 36 states/UTs have ≥20% deficiency, nine over 60%
• Monsoon arrived late (June 4), stalled June 15-21, and revived only on June 23; El Niño is expected to intensify in later months
• Govt has set up an "El Niño Monitoring Cell" and a "Crop Weather Watch Group" and drawn up district contingency plans

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — monsoon dependence of Indian agriculture, drought contingency planning, and food security.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• LPA (Long Period Average) is the benchmark; a "normal" monsoon = 96-104% of LPA
• Kharif crops are sown with the southwest monsoon onset (June-July)
• "High priority" districts = irrigation coverage of 25% or less

🔑 Key Term: El Niño — abnormal warming of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean that typically suppresses the Indian monsoon.