The Centre will send assessment teams to Karnataka and Maharashtra to study drought conditions on the ground, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said. A central team will visit Karnataka on October 3, while another will be dispatched to Maharashtra, where deficient and untimely rainfall has raised concerns about crop losses.

The minister expressed concern over the situation in both states, along with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and said crop plans there must be based on water availability and soil moisture. The assessments will feed into decisions on relief and support for affected farmers.

Chouhan made the announcement while addressing the National Agriculture Conference on Rabi Campaign 2026 in New Delhi, where he asked states to complete water budget assessments before finalising their winter crop plans. The teams will evaluate reservoir levels, soil moisture and standing crop damage, and their reports will guide the Centre’s response in the coming weeks.