El Niño impact on Indian agriculture will not be massive, govt's contingency measures to help

Despite the erratic nature of rainfall during the ongoing monsoon season, crop protection industry leaders share the government’s optimism that El Niño, a naturally occurring climatic phenomenon that disrupts normal rain patterns, may not impact crop cultivation and productivity, and their businesses in a big way.  

"The first half of June witnessed uneven rainfall, with the India Meteorological Department IMD reporting a 32% deficit. Despite this, we remain optimistic about the outlook for the crop protection industry as farmers prepare for Kharif sowing, particularly in key crops such as rice, where agricultural activity has already commenced," Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticides (India) Limited, and Vice-Chairman, Crop Care Federation of India, said.

While deficient rainfall may create short-term uncertainty, India's vast agricultural landscape, coupled with irrigation support across many regions, provides significant resilience, he said. “We remain confident of delivering healthy double-digit growth in the coming quarters, supported by strategic collaborations, premium product launches, continuous innovation, industry-leading talent, and our ability to effectively manage global challenges, including input cost pressures and geopolitical volatility" Aggarwal said, adding that his company is well-positioned to navigate uneven rainfall patterns through robust distribution network, diversified product portfolio catering to multiple crops, and extensive farmer engagement initiatives.

Mayank Singhal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, PI Industries, agreed that if there's too much of an aggressive environment and damage to crops, it creates productivity challenges both for the farmer and also the whole ecosystem. However, he said India is one of the few countries, that has a great adaptability capability to find ways in a challenging environment. “I'm seeing agri-economy being under constant stress for the last three years. Usually, it's a three-year cycle. This time it's going to be fourth or fifth year. So that's becoming an interesting challenge. This is where we need to think about how we're going to adapt as to how disease and crop management need to be looked at," Singhal said.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, there has been no decrease in the area coverage under Kharif Crops as on June 12.  Overall area sown was 88.04 lakh hectre this season as against 84.6 lakh hectre coverage during the same period last year. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said weekly meetings are convened to assess the impact of El Niño and review the preparations across the country for the Kharif 2026 season.