Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asks states to prioritise pulses, oilseeds in rabi crop plans

New Delhi: Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday asked states to prepare crop plans for the upcoming rabi season based on water availability and soil moisture. He also called for increased cultivation of pulses and oilseeds to help reduce the government's import dependence.

Addressing the National Agriculture Conference - Rabi Campaign 2026, the minister said states and districts should assess irrigation availability before finalising crop plans, with water-stressed areas prioritising less water-intensive crops such as pulses and oilseeds.

He said rainfall has remained below normal, although the deficit is not severe enough to significantly affect water availability nationally. However, shortages in some states remain a concern.


Chouhan flagged drought conditions in Maharashtra and Karnataka and said central teams would undertake ground assessments.