310 districts identified as climate-vulnerable, 109 in 'very high' category

The question asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to state whether the government has assessed the impact of climate change on crop productivity, if it is accelerating research on climate-resilient varieties, if it offers incentives for adoption, and if crop insurance adequately covers climate-induced losses.

Asked and answered by: Asked by Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra; Answered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan).

What the government said

• ICAR implemented the NICRA project, identifying 310 vulnerable districts (109 'very high', 201 'highly') out of 651 assessed.
• District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) were prepared for all 651 assessed districts.
• Climate-resilient technologies are being demonstrated in 448 Climate Resilient Villages across 151 districts in 28 States/UTs.
• ICAR released 2,900 crop varieties between 2014 and 2024, of which 2,661 are tolerant to biotic or abiotic stresses.
• Between 2019 and 2026, 1,59,600.3 quintals of breeder seed and 3,82,855.8 quintals of quality seed for climate-resilient varieties were produced and distributed.
• The government promotes resilience through schemes including Per Drop More Crop (PDMC), Rainfed Area Development (RAD), and the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF).
• Under the National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM), financial assistance is provided for demonstrations, certified seed distribution, and capacity building using climate-resilient varieties.
• As of 30.06.2026, 92.68 crore farmer applications are enrolled under PMFBY and RWBCIS, with ₹2.02 lakh crore in claims paid since 2016.
• Approximately 86% of unique farmer applications under the insurance schemes are from small and marginal farmers.

Also in the document

• The answer states that 310 districts were identified as vulnerable to climate change, with 109 categorized as 'very high' vulnerability.
• The answer provides specific figures for seed production, noting a year-on-year increase in both breeder and quality seed production for climate-resilient varieties from 2019-20 to 2025-26.
• The answer confirms that PMFBY and RWBCIS cover specific natural calamities including drought, flood, heat wave, and cyclone, but does not provide a separate assessment of whether this coverage is 'adequate' beyond listing the covered risks and enrollment figures.