Srinagar, Jul 28 (KNO): The Central government on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that Kharif sowing in Jammu and Kashmir is marginally below the normal area this season, while a series of contingency measures, including seed reserves, climate-resilient farming practices and water conservation initiatives, have been put in place to mitigate the impact of deficient rainfall.
Replying to a question raised by Rakesh Rathor, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said Kharif sowing operations for 2026-27 are still underway and the first advance estimates of production have not yet been released. He added that rainfall data for all States and districts is available on the India Meteorological Department (IMD) website.
According to the statement tabled in Parliament, Jammu and Kashmir has a normal Kharif sowing area of 5.90 lakh hectares. As on July 13, 2026, sowing had been completed over 3.46 lakh hectares, compared to 3.85 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year, registering a decline of 0.39 lakh hectares from the normal area.
The minister said the Centre has advised States and Union Territories to undertake advance planning for optimum use of reservoir water, promote micro-irrigation under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (Per Drop More Crop) and strengthen water conservation through works such as farm ponds, check dams and canal desilting under rural development programmes. He said support is also being extended through Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Kisan Credit Card (KCC), National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) and other agriculture schemes.
The government further informed the House that it is continuously monitoring the monsoon situation in coordination with the IMD, ICAR, Central Water Commission and State Governments. It said adequate seed stocks have been maintained, contingency plans have been updated for drought-prone districts, and farmers are being encouraged to adopt short-duration and drought-tolerant crops, micro-irrigation, crop diversification and other climate-resilient farming practices to minimise the impact of deficient rainfall—(KNO)