Bhubaneswar, June 18 -- Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed officials to hold weekly strategy meetings to closely monitor ground realities, review reservoir levels, and track mandi prices ahead of the upcoming Kharif season.

The directive follows a high-level review meeting on Kharif 2026 preparations, where the central government warned that the El Nino, typically associated with a weaker monsoon, is expected to have a "relatively severe" impact on agriculture across 12 states, as reported by Deccan Herald.

Odisha is among the states likely to face significant effects, alongside Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, t...