El Nino spells trouble for kharif harvests across India

A study by scientists at an ICAR institute has found that El Niño events have consistently reduced yields of major kharif crops in India, with significant impacts across multiple states. Research led by Subash N Pillai at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research shows that paddy output fell by over 10% in 77 districts, while maize production declined similarly in 65 districts during El Niño years.