Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Deficient Monsoon Raises Drought Risks for India’s Winter Crops
India received less and more uneven rain than usual during the monsoon.
This has hurt some crops grown during the kharif, or rainy, season.
Maharashtra and Karnataka have declared many farming areas drought-affected.
The government is sending teams to check how serious the damage is.
Other states, including Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, have also reported problems.
The next farming season is called rabi and begins with sowing in October.
Crops such as wheat, chana and mustard may struggle if the soil does not contain enough moisture.
Officials say rainfed farms face the greatest risk.
They also say crops have not failed everywhere and that separate plans are needed for irrigated and rainfed regions.
Erratic and deficient monsoon rainfall has affected kharif crops across several Indian states.
Maharashtra has declared 265 of 358 taluks drought-hit, while Karnataka has identified 124 drought-affected taluks.
The central government will send teams to Maharashtra and Karnataka to assess kharif crop damage.
Low soil moisture could reduce rabi yields, especially in rainfed areas, officials warned.
Monsoon rainfall was 12.1% below the benchmark, with sowing of wheat, chana and mustard scheduled to begin in October.
- Who
- The Union Agriculture Ministry, state governments, farmers and agricultural officials, including Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Atish Chandra.
- What
- Deficient and uneven monsoon rainfall has damaged some kharif crops and raised concerns about rabi crop production.
- When
- During the current monsoon and kharif season, with rabi sowing scheduled to begin in October.
- Where
- Across India, particularly Maharashtra and Karnataka; Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have also been affected.
- Why
- Low and uneven rainfall has caused drought conditions and reduced soil moisture, threatening crop yields.
- Monsoon deficit
- Rainfall was 12.1% below the benchmark as of Monday.
- Kharif sowing area
- 109.49 million hectares were planted, 1.2% below the previous season.
- Maharashtra drought areas
- 265 of the state’s 358 taluks were declared drought-hit.
- Karnataka drought areas
- 124 taluks were classified as drought-affected after 23 additional taluks were added.
- Rabi crops at risk
- Wheat, chana and mustard are among the major crops scheduled for sowing from October.
- Regional rainfall
- Rainfall was below normal in northwest India, east and northeast India, and the southern peninsula.
- Rabi grain output
- The article reports 180.5 million tonnes of grain output for the 2025-26 rabi season, representing 48% of total output.