Agri ministry to promote drought-resistant crops amid weaker monsoon fears, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• The Union Agriculture Ministry is preparing for a potentially weak southwest monsoon in 2026 due to El Nino conditions.
• The ministry is promoting drought-resistant crops like millets and pulses, and climate-resilient farm practices.
• Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), comprising 63 lakh farmers across 10,000 FPOs, are being utilized to disseminate these practices.
• Key practices include mulching for moisture conservation, drip irrigation, and mixed cropping systems.
• The IMD forecasts 90% of the Long Period Average (LPA) for the 2026 monsoon, with below normal rainfall expected for the Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ).

Detailed Insights:

• The ministry is conducting webinars to educate farmers on natural farming and climate-resilient practices to mitigate monsoon challenges.
• Mulching, using materials like straw and gunny bags, effectively reduces evaporation, suppresses weeds, and improves soil health.
• FPOs in Jharkhand, such as Torpa Mahila Krishi Bagwani Swawlambi Sahkari Samiti Limited, are encouraging a shift from paddy to less water-intensive crops like pulses and millets.
• This agricultural shift is particularly vital for states within the Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ), which includes Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Odisha.
• Promoting millets helps farmers reduce production risks as these crops are naturally resilient and thrive in marginal environments with less water.
• The Long Period Average (LPA) for seasonal rainfall over India, based on 1971-2020 data, is 87 cm.
• El Nino conditions are known to typically weaken the Indian monsoon, increasing the likelihood of below-normal rainfall.

Key Concepts Involved:

• El Nino: A climate pattern characterized by unusual warming of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, often leading to reduced monsoon rainfall in India.
• Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ): A geographical region in India heavily reliant on monsoon for agriculture, making it highly vulnerable to drought conditions.
• Long Period Average (LPA): A benchmark representing the average rainfall over a specific region for a long period, typically 30 or 50 years, used to classify monsoon performance.
• Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs): Collectives of farmers formed to manage production, processing, and marketing activities, enhancing their bargaining power and access to resources.
• Mulching: An agricultural technique involving covering the soil surface with organic or inorganic materials to conserve soil moisture, regulate temperature, and suppress weeds.
• Drought-resistant crops: Crop varieties that can tolerate and produce yields under conditions of limited water availability, such as millets and certain pulses.