Crop Report
India kharif acreage dn 21% on yr as of Fri on deficient rains
This story was originally published at 09:23 IST on 7 July 2026
Register to read our real-time news.Informist, Tuesday, Jul. 7, 2026
MUMBAI – The area under crops in the kharif season remained lower on-year as the delayed progress of monsoon and deficient rainfall over many parts of the country kept sowing activity restricted. As of Friday, kharif acreage in India reached 35.09 million hectares, down nearly 21% from a year ago, according to data from the agriculture ministry. The kharif acreage so far has also remained below the five-year average — or the normal area — for the period, which is 37.33 million hectares.
Tur sowing has suffered the most so far, followed by soybean and groundnut acreage. The area sown under tur as of Friday was down more than 41% on year at 1.24 million hectares, according to the data. Rainfall in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the top producers of tur in the country, remains largely below normal, slowing down the progress in acreage. However, the large gap in acreage from the previous year is also likely due to an early start of sowing in 2025, according to market participants. The southwest monsoon had advanced over most parts of India earlier than normal last year, resulting in the speedy commencement and progress of kharif sowing.
The area sown under urad fell to 301,000 hectares from 463,000 hectares a year ago, and the area under moong fell to 1.68 million hectares from 1.72 million hectares a year ago. The total acreage under pulses so far this season was down nearly 22% on year at 3.72 million hectares.
Soybean acreage fell nearly 40% from the previous year to 4.78 million hectares, the data showed. The area sown under groundnut was also down by nearly 40% on year to 1.69 million hectares. Sunflower showed a substantial 72% rise on-year to 79,000 hectares. The total acreage under oilseeds was 6.63 million hectares, down more than 39% from last year.
Paddy acreage as of Friday declined to 6.02 million hectares from 6.93 million hectares a year ago, according to the data. Paddy is the largest crop grown during the kharif season, in terms of both acreage and volume. The area sown under coarse cereals, promoted as 'Shri Anna' by the government, fell by over 16% on year to 6.01 million hectares. Under coarse cereals, the area sown under maize fell to 3.29 million hectares from 3.50 million hectares last year.
The area under sugarcane so far was 5.76 million hectares, up from 5.67 million hectares a year ago, and the area under jute rose to 628,000 hectares from 616,000 hectares last year.
During Jun. 1–Jul. 6, the country recorded 170.7 mm of rainfall, 20?low the normal of 213.3 mm for the period, according to data from the India Meteorological Department.
The following table details the sowing of key kharif crops, in hectares, compared with year-ago levels and the year-on-year change in percentage terms:
| Crop | Acreage 2026 (ha) | Acreage 2025 (ha) | Change (%) |
| Paddy | 6,024,000 | 6,930,000 | (-)13.1 |
| Tur | 1,235,000 | 2,100,000 | (-)41.2 |
| Urad | 301,000 | 463,000 | (-)35 |
| Moong | 1,681,000 | 1,720,000 | (-)2.3 |
| Total Pulses* | 3,715,000 | 4,749,000 | (-)21.8 |
| Maize | 3,294,000 | 3,500,000 | (-)5.9 |
| Total Coarse Cereals* | 6,012,000 | 7,186,000 | (-)16.3 |
| Groundnut | 1,693,000 | 2,800,000 | (-)39.5 |
| Soybean | 4,780,000 | 7,920,000 | (-)39.6 |
| Sunflower | 79,000 | 46,000 | 71.7 |
| Total Oilseeds* | 6,631,000 | 10,927,000 | (-)39.3 |
| Sugarcane | 5,758,000 | 5,672,000 | 1.5 |
| Jute | 628,000 | 616,000 | 1.9 |
| Cotton | 6,318,000 | 8,200,000 | (-)23 |
| Grand Total* | 35,085,000 | 44,280,000 | (-)20.8 |
* Figures will not tally with the subtotal and total, as crops with low acreage have not been included.
End
Reported by Shreya Shetty
Edited by Saji George Titus
For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.
Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.
Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000
Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com
© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.
To read more please subscribe
Share this Story:
