Amid rain, Centre alerts state of possible drought
The advisory came during a national-level review chaired by the Union agriculture secretary, which noted that despite above-normal rainfall forecasts, states like Kerala must brace for dry spells and emerging stress zones.
These details are part of the minutes of the meeting shared by the Centre with state govts, including Kerala, on July 9, and accessed by TOI. The
India meteorological department
(IMD) informed the meeting that the 2025 southwest monsoon arrived early over Kerala on May 24 and quickly progressed across peninsular and northeast India.
Seasonal rainfall is forecast to be 106% of the long period average (LPA), suggesting an above-normal monsoon overall. However, the IMD warned that rainfall distribution will remain uneven, with pockets of deficit possible even in high-rainfall states, due to the country's vast geographical variations.
In this context, the Centre has directed all states, including Kerala, to monitor for localised droughts or dry spells, even if the larger monsoon picture appears favourable.
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States have been asked to capture rainfall data through automatic rain gauges, ensure the availability of short-duration, climate-resilient seed varieties, and hold regular crop weather watch group (CWWG) meetings to track evolving weather patterns and crop stress.
Officials also underlined the need to activate crisis management plans (CMPs) promptly in response to emerging conditions, and to update these plans to include scenarios such as pest attacks, which could intensify during weather fluctuations.
In the event of a pest outbreak, the states were instructed to conduct rapid field-level assessments and to utilise the national pest surveillance system (NPSS) mobile application for real-time crop data.
Awareness among farmers about the NPSS app is also to be increased, and the Centre has suggested making it accessible in all official languages.
Kerala, like other states, has been advised to make full use of the integrated drought monitoring portal of the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), especially in the absence of a dedicated state-level portal.
The Centre also emphasised the importance of disseminating agromet services in an area-specific and farmer-oriented manner. Agencies like ICAR-CRIDA were asked to ensure that technologies related to natural resource management and intercropping systems are demonstrated through targeted training and interaction with farmers, especially in districts identified as vulnerable.
Separate guidelines are to be issued for such demonstrations.
Low-cost dissemination methods, such as WhatsApp groups, have been suggested to improve outreach.
On the livestock front, the department of animal husbandry and dairying (DAHD) highlighted a significant gap between demand and supply of dry fodder, green fodder, and concentrates across the country. Kerala has been advised, along with other states, to procure fodder from surplus regions, promote pre-monsoon sowing of mixed fodder crops, and consider inclusion of fodder seeds under the national seed reserve, if not already done.
"Even though the rainfall during SWM-2025 is above normal and has already covered the entire country, the states should look for localised drought/dry spell and take corrective steps to minimise distress to farmers," the minutes stated.
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