Kharif sowing slows as rain deficit hits over half of India's districts amid El Nino threat

📌 Summary:

• With more than half of India's 741 districts facing a rainfall deficit amid a looming El Nino, kharif sowing has slowed; acreage under rice, pulses, millets and oilseeds (as of July 10) is significantly below last year
• Paddy (the biggest crop) area was 114.69 lakh hectares — 8.6% less than 125.53 lakh ha last year
• Pulses down sharply: 56.63 lakh ha vs 73.85 lakh ha last year (~23% lower), with lower coverage for arhar, urad and moong
• Oilseeds down ~21% (117.83 vs 149.18 lakh ha); cotton down ~15% (79.54 vs 93.95 lakh ha); bajra (millet, mainly rainfed) also lower
• Per IMD, 54% of the 741 districts recorded deficit to large-deficit rainfall from June 1–July 13; only 46% got normal/excess rain; cumulative monsoon was 19.3% below normal
• Monsoon onset was delayed ~10 days over Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra; a 'weak to moderate' El Nino is expected in July–August; review meetings held from the PMO to the agriculture ministry

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Economy/Agriculture (with GS1 Geography linkage) — monsoon dependence of Indian agriculture, El Nino-ENSO impact on kharif output, and downstream food-inflation and rural-income risks.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Kharif crops are sown with the southwest monsoon (June–September); paddy, pulses, oilseeds, cotton and bajra are kharif crops
• El Nino (warm phase of ENSO) is generally associated with weaker/deficient Indian monsoon rainfall
• IMD (India Meteorological Department) issues rainfall and monsoon assessments; India has 741 districts referenced here

🔑 Key Term: El Nino — the warm phase of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the equatorial Pacific, typically linked to suppressed southwest monsoon rainfall over India.