{
  "id": 10325006,
  "title": "As monsoon falters, keep food imports open",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/as-monsoon-falters-keep-food-imports-open",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T00:30:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/maharashtra-drought-monsoon-deficit-el-nino-10896600/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The recent southwest monsoon season has fallen short of expectations, exacerbating the ongoing drought across nearly three-quarters of Maharashtra's tehsils, with some areas potentially facing a worse situation than the 1972 famine. Nationwide, rainfall has been 11.9% below the historical average from June 1 to September 27, with 23 out of 36 meteorological divisions experiencing cumulative deficits exceeding 10%. The southern states, including Maharashtra's Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, Rajasthan, Saurashtra and Kutch, and the Northeast are the most severely affected. Rainfall was notably deficient in June and August, concentrated in regions such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh.\n\nEl Niño has intensified to a strong phase, forecasted to remain potent through October to January-February before easing to moderate-to-weak levels by April-May. This climatic event has already influenced the monsoon, potentially impacting kharif crop yields, even if cultivated areas remain largely unchanged. The upcoming rabi season may face the most significant consequences, as water resources like wells, ponds, reservoirs, and underground aquifers may be depleted due to the deficient monsoon. This, coupled with the expectation of a relatively warm and short winter, could culminate in a subpar rabi harvest, further compounding the kharif yield shortfall.\n\nThe Maharashtra administration has taken commendable steps by activating the Drought Management Code, initiating crop loss assessments, and offering relief measures such as land revenue waivers and the restructuring or suspension of agricultural loans for affected areas. Other states must emulate this proactive approach. The federal government's flagship Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and VB-G Ram G schemes' effectiveness will be scrutinized, particularly in terms of timely indemnity claim payouts and supporting rural relief initiatives. The current crop insurance schemes will be crucial in mitigating the financial burden on farmers.\n\nSimultaneously, supply-side management strategies are imperative to counter potential shortfalls. Recognizing this, the Modi government recently reduced import duties on crude palm and soyabean oil from 16.5% to 11% and on sunflower oil to 5.5%. Furthermore, the government has granted duty-free access to imports of arhar (pigeon pea) and urad (black gram). It is advisable to extend duty-free import privileges to all other pulses, including yellow peas, chana (garbanzo beans), and masoor (red lentils), to bolster domestic food supplies amidst the challenging monsoon and rabi seasons.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Southwest monsoon fell 11.9% short of average from June to September",
    "El Niño intensified to strong phase, affecting monsoon through October-January",
    "Maharashtra activates Drought Management Code, offers relief measures to farmers"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Keeping food imports open will help mitigate the financial burden on farmers and bolster domestic food supplies amidst the challenging monsoon and rabi seasons.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}