{
  "id": 10714500,
  "title": "El Nino fears: Govt cuts foodgrain target by 2.63 MT",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/el-nino-fears-govt-cuts-foodgrain-target-by-2-63-mt",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-29T14:45:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times - Economy",
    "slug": "the-economic-times-economy",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/el-nino-fears-govt-cuts-foodgrain-target-by-2-63-mt/articleshow/134569380.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Indian government has reduced its foodgrain production target for the 2026-27 crop year to 373.93 million tonnes, due to concerns over the effects of El Niño weather patterns. This is a decrease of 2.63 million tonnes compared to the actual output of 376.56 million tonnes in the previous year. However, the new target is still higher than the initial target of 362 million tonnes set for 2025-26. The target is split into 196.21 million tonnes for the 2026 kharif season and 177.72 million tonnes for the 2026 rabi winter season. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made the announcement after considering factors such as soil moisture, water availability, and holding consultations with individual states to adjust cropping patterns in response to adverse conditions. The minister emphasized that the goal is to avoid cultivating water-intensive crops in areas experiencing low rainfall and low reservoir levels, instead opting for crops like pulses and oilseeds. The government is also working to address global forecasts of a potentially strong El Niño by late 2026, adjusting crop planning based on regional variations in water resources, soil moisture, and rainfall.",
  "summary": "India has announced a reduced foodgrain production target of 373.93 million tonnes for the 2026-27 crop year. The decision comes amidst concerns over El Niño weather patterns impacting agricultural conditions across the country. Sowing operations for kharif crops have been completed, while rabi crop planting will start in October.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Economic Times - Economy",
        "title": "Foodgrain target for 2026-27 cut to 374 MT amid El Nino concerns; Rabi pegged at 178 MT",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/foodgrain-target-for-2026-27-cut-to-374-mt-amid-el-nino-concerns-rabi",
        "published": "2026-09-29T12:16:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}