The Centre on Wednesday advised states to be prepared for the “worst situation” and ensure adequate availability of seeds for the kharif season amid El Nino fears this season.
At a conference on kharif season prospects, farm secretary Manoj Ahuja said the weather department has made a forecast of normal monsoon but there could be El Nino conditions during the second half of the monsoon season.
“We should be prepared for the worst situation. There are chances of less rain and there are chances that El Nino conditions might not occur. There should be complete preparedness at the state level.”
While the official IMD has forecast a largely normal monsoon, Skymet has forecast less than normal rain between June and September. AccuWeather has predicted a worse scenario. The Southwest Monsoon hits the country around May 20-25 and covers the country by July 2. More than the rainfall, it is the rain spread which is vital for agriculture.
El Nino, which is the warming of the waters in the Pacific Ocean near South America, is associated with the weakening of monsoon winds and dry weather in India.
