Climate Change to impact agricultural income by up to 25 per cent: Economic Survey

The Economic Survey flagged the impact of Climate Change on agricultural incomes. The survey said that extreme weather patterns can impact farm incomes in the range of 15 per cent to 18 per cent on average, and up to 20 to 25 per cent for unirrigated areas.

The survey says that the goal of doubling farmer's income by 2022 could face problems on account of the "contemporary realities of Indian agriculture, and the harsher prospects of its vulnerability to long-term climate change".

The survey brings out two key findings: "The impact of temperature and rainfall is felt only in the extreme; that is, when temperatures are much higher, rainfall significantly lower, and the number of “dry days” greater, than normal. A second key finding is that these impacts are significantly more adverse in unirrigated areas (and hence rainfed crops) compared to irrigated areas (and hence cereals)."