Natural Disasters May Cut Kharif Crop Output
08-Oct-2025 12:30 PM
New Delhi. Excessive rainfall and flooding during this year's southwest monsoon in some of the country's key agricultural producing states are indicating widespread damage to Kharif crops, particularly rice, pulses, oilseeds, cotton, and sugarcane.
Consequently, the central government may be forced to reduce production estimates for food grains and other agricultural products for the 2025-26 Kharif season.
Although last month the Agriculture Commissioner expressed hope that total production would be approximately equal to last year's, the industry and business sector believes that actual production may be significantly lower than the government's estimates. Many areas have also received heavy rainfall during the current month.
The Union Agriculture Ministry has estimated that food grain production in the 2025-26 Kharif season will reach a new record high of 171 million tonnes, an increase of 3 million tonnes from the 2024-25 Kharif production of 168 million tonnes.
Extremely heavy rainfall occurred in the eastern and western states of the country during the first week of October, once again leading to waterlogging in fields.
Maharashtra has suffered the most damage due to floods and rains, where nearly half of the total Kharif crop area is facing natural disasters. The August-September floods in Punjab and Rajasthan have caused significant damage to Kharif crops.
Based on reports received from various affected states, the Union Agriculture Ministry is assessing the total losses to Kharif crops. Due to heavy rains from the retreating monsoon, greater damage is expected in areas where crops have matured and are ready for harvesting.
Pulses and oilseeds crops in Maharashtra and Rajasthan have suffered significant damage due to unseasonal rains. Crops have already been damaged in some areas of states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
Natural disasters have also caused damage to coarse grains like sorghum, millet, and maize, but the extent is relatively small. Late monsoon rains have led to high moisture content in fields, hindering early sowing of Rabi crops in many areas.
Chickpea cultivation has not yet gained momentum in Maharashtra. The pace of harvesting and preparation for Kharif crops is very slow, and therefore, fields are not being cleared quickly.