Crop Report
As sowing nears end, rabi area rises 2.4% on yr; wheat up 1.9%
This story was originally published at 20:41 IST on 2 February 2026
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--India rabi acreage 67.7 mln ha as of Fri vs 66.1 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 14.0 mln ha as of Fri vs 13.5 mln ha year ago
--India rabi coarse cereals acreage 6.1 mln ha as of Fri vs 6.0 mln yr ago
--India rabi oilseeds acreage 9.7 mln ha as of Fri vs 9.4 mln ha year ago
--India rabi paddy acreage 4.50 mln ha as of Fri vs 4.47 mln ha year ago
--India rabi chana acreage 9.6 mln ha as of Fri vs 9.1 mln ha year ago
--India rabi urad acreage 606,000 ha as of Fri vs 567,000 ha year ago
--India rabi masur acreage 1.81 mln ha as of Fri vs 1.77 mln ha year ago
--India rabi jowar acreage 2.3 mln ha as of Fri vs 2.5 mln ha year ago
--India rabi moong acreage 99,000 ha as of Fri vs 100,000 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 2.8 mln ha year ago
--India rabi barley acreage 738,000 ha as of Fri vs 608,000 ha year ago
NEW DELHI – As sowing for the ongoing rabi season comes to an end, the acreage across India marked an increase of 2.4% on year to 67.7 million hectares as of Friday, compared with 66.1 million hectares in the corresponding period last year, data released by the agriculture ministry showed.
Acreage under wheat, the largest rabi crop, increased 1.9% on year to 33.4 million hectares, up from 32.8 million hectares a year ago. Wheat is grown exclusively during the rabi season in India.
The area sown under rabi paddy edged up around 0.6% on year to 4.50 million hectares, compared with 4.47 million hectares in the year-ago period.
Total acreage under pulses climbed about 3.7% on year to nearly 14.0 million hectares led by chana and masur. Chana acreage rose roughly 5.5% to 9.6 million hectares and masur increased about 2.6% to 1.81 million hectares. Urad acreage rose 6.9% to 606,000 hectares while moong area slipped about 1% to 99,000 hectares.
The area under Shri Anna and coarse cereals rose 1.6% on year to 6.1 million hectares, supported mainly by maize and barley. Maize acreage increased nearly 4.9% to 2.9 million hectares, while barley area jumped over 21% to 738,000 hectares. However, jowar acreage declined about 8.1% to 2.3 million hectares.
Total area under oilseeds expanded 3.8% on year to 9.7 million hectares. Rapeseed and mustard, the dominant winter oilseed, rose 3.2% to 8.9 million hectares while groundnut was up 4.5% to 352,000 hectares and sunflower rose a whopping 25% to 70,000 hectares.
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 | YoY change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 33,417,000 | 32,804,000 | 1.9 |
| Rice | 4,500,000 | 4,473,000 | 0.6 |
| Pulses (Total) | 13,955,000 | 13,452,000 | 3.7 |
| Chana (Gram) | 9,620,000 | 9,122,000 | 5.5 |
| Masur | 1,812,000 | 1,766,000 | 2.6 |
| Urad | 606,000 | 567,000 | 6.9 |
| Moong | 99,000 | 100,000 | (–)1.0 |
| Shri Anna & Coarse Cereals (Total) | 6,093,000 | 5,999,000 | 1.6 |
| Jowar | 2,313,000 | 2,517,000 | (–)8.1 |
| Ragi | 97,000 | 70,000 | 38.6 |
| Maize | 2,916,000 | 2,780,000 | 4.9 |
| Barley | 738,000 | 608,000 | 21.4 |
| Oilseeds (Total) | 9,719,000 | 9,367,000 | 3.8 |
| Rapeseed & Mustard | 8,936,000 | 8,657,000 | 3.2 |
| Groundnut | 352,000 | 337,000 | 4.5 |
| Sunflower | 70,000 | 56,000 | 25.0 |
| Other Oilseeds | 40,000 | 35,000 | 14.3 |
| Total Crops | 67,684,000 | 66,096,000 | 2.4 |
End
Reported by Pallavi Singhal
Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury
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