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Informist, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

 

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--India rabi acreage 343,000 ha as of Fri vs 465,000 ha year ago
--Rabi sowing of wheat, moong, bajra, ragi not yet started as of Fri  
--Rabi sowing of sunflower, sesamum not yet started as of Fri 
--Rabi sowing of paddy, pulses, oilseeds started in few states as of Fri 
--India rabi rice acreage 88,000 ha as of Fri vs 134,000 ha year ago 
--India rabi pulses acreage 15,000 ha as of Fri vs 10,000 ha year ago 
--India rabi maize acreage 2,000 ha as of Fri, flat on year
--India rabi barley acreage 1,000 ha as of Fri vs nil year ago 
--India rabi coarse cereals acreage 11,000 ha as of Fri vs 10,000 ha yr ago 
--India rabi oilseeds acreage 229,000 ha as of Fri vs 311,000 ha year ago 
--India rabi chana acreage 6,000 ha as of Fri vs nil a year ago 
--India rabi jowar acreage 8,000 ha as of Fri, flat on year 
--India rabi mustard acreage 226,000 ha as of Fri vs 310,000 ha year ago 
--India rabi groundnut acreage 3,000 ha as of Fri vs 1,000 ha year ago 

 

MUMBAI – The area sown under rabi crops across India was 343,000 hectares as of Friday, down over 26% from 465,000 hectares a year ago, data from the agriculture ministry showed. However, rabi sowing has only begun in a few states and in select crops. Sowing for wheat, a major rabi crop, has not begun yet, according to the ministry's data. Along with wheat, sowing for crops such as bajra, moong, ragi, safflower, and sunflower has also not begun. Sowing of paddy, pulses, and oilseeds has begun only in a few states, the ministry said. 

 

Paddy sowing across India as of Friday was 88,000 hectares, down over 34% from 134,000 hectares a year ago. However, chana sowing was at 6,000 hectares as of Friday, whereas this time last year, chana sowing had not yet begun. The acreage of total pulses was up 50% on year at 15,000 hectares, whereas it was 10,000 hectares this time last year. 

 

Both jowar and maize were flat on year at 8,000 and 2,000 hectares respectively. Barley acreage was at 1,000 hectares, whereas last year barley sowing had not begun at this time. Total coarse cereal sowing was up 10% on year at 11,000 hectares, compared with 10,000 hectares last year. 

 

Mustard sowing was down 27% on year at 226,000 hectares, compared with 310,000 hectares last year. Groundnut sowing was up 200% from last year at 3,000 hectares, compared with 1,000 hectares. However, the acreage for total oilseeds was down over 26% on year at 229,000 hectares, compared with 311,000 hectares. 

 

The normal acreage for rabi crops is 64.76 million hectares, according to the ministry's data. Only 343,000 hectares has been sown so far, meaning only 0.53% of the total area has been covered. 

 

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	2026-27	2025-26	Change (%)
Rice	88,000	134,000	-34.3
Chana	6,000	--	--
Total Pulses*	15,000	10,000	50
Jowar	8,000	8,000	0
Maize	2,000	2,000	0
Barley	1,000	--	--
Total Coarse Cereals*	11,000	10,000	10
Mustard	226,000	310,000	-27.1
Groundnut	3,000	1,000	200
Total Oilseeds*	229,000	311,000	-26.4
Total Crops	343,000	465,000	-26.2

 

* Totals may not tally as some minor crops have been omitted.

 

 

End

 

Reported by Upasika Singhal

Edited by Himanshi Gupta 

 

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