Lok Sabha Question No. 2598 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-16
Subject: Agricultural Productivity and Crop Yields
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Naveen Jindal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2598

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 16 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND CROP YIELDS

2598. SHRI NAVEEN JINDAL:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी

be pleased to state: (a) the manner in which the rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, heatwaves,  and other extreme climatic events are affecting agricultural productivity and crop yields in the various agro-climatic zones in the country; (b) the  details  of  adaptive  measures  and  climate-resilient  agricultural  practices  the Government is promoting to help farmers mitigate the impact of climate change; and the details or steps being taken to promote the use of modern technology, such as drones,  Al,  and  digital  platforms,  among  small  and  marginal  farmers,  and  to  bridge  the

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI  RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a) & (b): Rising  temperatures,  erratic  rainfall,  heatwaves,  and  other  extreme  climatic events pose challenges to agricultural productivity . Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is implementing the National Innovations in  Climate  Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project,  to  study  the  impact  of  climate  change  on  agriculture.  The  Project  undertakes district-level risk and vulnerability assessments, and simulation modelling to estimate future climate change projections and implications for agriculture. Risk and vulnerability assessment of agriculture to climate change has been carried out for 651 predominantly agricultural districts as per Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) protocols. 310 districts were identified as vulnerable, out of which 109 districts have been categorized

- (c) digital divide?

as 'very high' and 201 districts as 'highly' vulnerable. For supporting adaptive capacity of farmers to climate variability, location-specific climate resilient technologies such as system of rice intensification, aerobic rice, direct seeding of rice, zero till wheat sowing, etc. have been  demonstrated  through  KVKs  in  448  Climate  Resilient  Villages    of  151  climatically vulnerable  districts. Capacity  building for  establishing  village  level  seed  banks  and community nurseries is being undertaken.

Further, to address the impact of climate change, ICAR has released 2900 varieties during last 10 years (2014-2024). Out of these 2661 varieties are tolerant to one or more biotic  and/or abiotic stresses. Drought and flood tolerant climate-resilient varieties of rice, wheat, soybean, mustard, chickpea, sorghum, gram, and foxtail millet have been demonstrated in several NICRA villages.

Several schemes are implemented under National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) to deal with the adverse climate situations in the agriculture sector. Per Drop  More  Crop  scheme  increases  water  use  efficiency  at  the  farm  level  through  micro irrigation technologies i.e. drip and sprinkler irrigation. Rainfed Area Development scheme focuses  on  Integrated  Farming  System  for  enhancing  productivity  and  minimizing  risks associated  with  climatic  variability.  The  Soil  Health  &  Fertility  scheme  assists  states  in promoting  Integrated  Nutrient  Management  through  judicious  use  of  chemical  fertilizers including  secondary  and  micronutrients  in  conjunction  with  organic  manures  &  biofertilizers.  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture,  Agroforestry  &  National Barnboo  Mission  also  promote  climate  resilience  in  agriculture.  Further,  Pradhan  Mantri Fasal  Bima  Yojana  along  with  weather  index  based  Restructured  Weather  Based  Crop Insurance Scheme provide a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of the crop by providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of unforeseen natural calamities and adverse weather incidence.

(c): The Government is taking several steps to promote the use of modern technology, such as drones, AI, and digital platforms, among small and marginal farmers and to bridge the digital divide. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IoT-enabled systems are being leveraged to improve crop productivity, sustainability, and farmer livelihoods. The 'Kisan e-Mitra' voicebased AI chatbot, supporting 11 regional languages, assists farmers with queries related to

PM-KISAN  and  other  programmes,  handling  over  20,000  queries  daily  and  having responded  to  more  than  95  lakh  queries  so  far.  The  National  Pest  Surveillance  System uses  AI  and  Machine  Learning  for  early  detection  of  pest  infestations,  helping  farmers reduce climate-induced crop losses; it is currently used by over 10,000 extension workers and covers 61 crops and more than 400 pests. AI-based analytics using field photographs and satellite imagery are also being deployed for crop-weather matching and monitoring of sowing patterns.

To  promote  drone  technology,  financial  assistance  is  provided  under  the  SubMission  on  Agricultural  Mechanisation  (SMAM),  under  which small  and  marginal,  SC/ST, women, and North Eastern State farmers receive 50% support (up to ₹5 lakh), while other farmers receive 40% support (up to ₹4 lakh) for individual drone ownership.

To mitigate the impacts of adverse weather on agriculture, under the Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) scheme, medium-range weather forecasts for the next 5 days at the  district  and  block  levels  are  generated  by  Indian  Meteorological  Department  (IMD). Based  on  rainfall  and  other  weather  parameters  along  with  weather  forecasts  issued  by IMD,  130  Agromet  Field  Units  prepare  Agromet  Advisories  in  English  as  well  as  in  the regional  language  for  dissemination  through  multiple  channels.  The  Panchayat-level weather  forecast  information  is  accessible  through  multiple  digital  platforms,  including: eGramSwaraj  (https://egramswaraj.gov.in/),  'Gram  Manchitra'  Application  of  Ministry  of Panchayat Raj (https://grammanchitra.gov.in/gm4MVC), 'Meri Panchayat' Mobile App and Mausamgram web portal of IMD (https://mausamgram.imd.gov.in/).

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