Crop Report
Rabi acreage rises 3% on year to 66.1 mln ha; wheat up 1.8%
This story was originally published at 21:05 IST on 27 January 2026
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--India rabi acreage 66.1 mln ha as of Fri vs 64.2 mln ha year ago
--India rabi wheat acreage 33.4 mln ha as of Fri vs 32.8 mln ha year ago
--India rabi pulses acreage 13.8 mln ha as of Fri vs 13.4 mln ha year ago
--India rabi oilseeds acreage 9.7 mln ha as of Fri vs 9.4 mln ha year ago
--India rabi coarse cereals acreage 6.1 mln ha as of Fri vs 5.7 mln yr ago
--India rabi paddy acreage 3.1 mln ha as of Fri vs 2.9 mln ha year ago
--India rabi chana acreage 9.6 mln ha as of Fri vs 9.1 mln ha year ago
--India rabi masur acreage 1.8 mln ha as of Fri, unchanged from a year ago
--India rabi urad acreage 481,000 ha as of Fri vs 525,000 ha year ago
--India rabi moong acreage 90,000 ha as of Fri vs 95,000 ha year ago
--India rabi jowar acreage 2.3 mln ha as of Fri vs 2.4 mln ha year ago
--India rabi mustard acreage 8.9 mln ha as of Fri vs 8.7 mln ha year ago
--India rabi groundnut acreage 352,000 ha as of Fri vs 337,000 ha year ago
--India rabi maize acreage 2.9 mln ha as of Fri vs 2.6 mln ha year ago
--India rabi barley acreage 7.4 mln ha as of Fri vs 6.1 mln ha year ago
NEW DELHI – The area sown under rabi crops across India rose about 3% on year to 66.1 million hectares as of Friday, compared with 64.2 million hectares a year ago, data released by the agriculture ministry showed. Gains were led by coarse cereals, paddy, oilseeds and wheat, while acreage under some pulses such as urad and moong declined.
Acreage under wheat, the biggest rabi crop, increased nearly 1.8% on year to 33.4 million hectares from 32.8 million hectares in the corresponding period last year. Wheat is grown only in the rabi season in India.
The area sown under paddy in the rabi season rose sharply, increasing over 6% on year to 3.1 million hectares as of Friday, compared with 2.9 million hectares a year ago.
Total acreage of Shri Anna and coarse cereals climbed about 6% on year to 6.1 million hectares, driven largely by maize. Within coarse cereals, maize acreage jumped around 11% on year to 2.9 million hectares, while area under jowar fell 5% to 2.3 million hectares.
The total area sown under pulses in the rabi season stood at 13.8 million hectares, up roughly 3% from 13.4 million hectares a year ago. Among key pulses, chana acreage rose over 5% on year to 9.6 million hectares. Area under masur remained unchanged at 1.8 million hectares. However, acreage under urad declined sharply by 8.4% on year to 481,000 hectares, while moong area fell roughly 5.3% to 90,000 hectares.
The total area under oilseeds increased around 4% on year to 9.7 million hectares as of Friday. Acreage under rapeseed and mustard, the largest winter oilseed crop, rose 3.2% on year to 8.9 million hectares. Groundnut acreage increased 4.5% to 352,000 hectares, while sunflower and other minor oilseeds also reported marginal gains in sown area, the data showed.
The following table details the sowing of key rabi crops, in hectares, compared with year-ago levels, and the year-on-year change in percentage terms as of Friday:
| Crop | 2025–26 | 2024–25 | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 33,417,000 | 32,804,000 | 1.9 |
| Rice | 3,103,000 | 2,923,000 | 6.2 |
| Pulses (Total) | 13,755,000 | 13,394,000 | 2.7 |
| Chana | 9,588,000 | 9,122,000 | 5.1 |
| Masur | 1,812,000 | 1,766,000 | 2.6 |
| Urad | 481,000 | 525,000 | (-)8.4 |
| Moong | 90,000 | 95,000 | (-)5.3 |
| Shri Anna & Coarse Cereals (Total) | 6,070,000 | 5,745,000 | 5.7 |
| Jowar | 2,301,000 | 2,422,000 | (-)5.0 |
| Ragi | 97,000 | 70,000 | 38.6 |
| Maize | 2,905,000 | 2,621,000 | 10.8 |
| Barley | 737,000 | 608,000 | 21.2 |
| Oilseeds (Total) | 9,703,000 | 9,358,000 | 3.7 |
| Rapeseed & Mustard | 8,936,000 | 8,657,000 | 3.2 |
| Groundnut | 352,000 | 337,000 | 4.5 |
| Sunflower | 64,000 | 53,000 | 20.8 |
| Other Oilseeds | 40,000 | 35,000 | 14.3 |
| Total Crops | 66,048,000 | 64,224,000 | 2.8 |
End
Reported by Pallavi Singhal
Edited by Tanima Banerjee
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