Crop Report
India's rabi sowing up 0.4% on year at 64.0 mln ha as of Monday
This story was originally published at 19:07 IST on 20 January 2025
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--India rabi acreage 64.0 mln ha so far vs 63.7 mln ha year ago
--India rabi wheat acreage 32.0 mln ha so far vs 31.6 mln ha year ago
--India rabi pulses acreage 14.2 mln ha so far vs 13.9 mln ha year ago
--India rabi oilseeds acreage 9.8 mln ha so far vs 10.2 mln ha year ago
--India rabi paddy acreage 2.62 mln ha so far vs 2.61 mln ha year ago
--India rabi coarse cereals acreage 5.4 mln ha so far vs 5.5 mln year ago
--India rabi chana acreage 9.8 mln ha so far vs 9.6 mln ha year ago
--India rabi masur acreage 1.74 mln ha so far vs 1.78 mln ha year ago
--India rabi urad acreage unchanged on year at 512,000 ha so far
--India rabi moong acreage 121,000 ha so far vs 108,000 ha year ago
--India rabi jowar acreage 2.4 mln ha so far vs 2.6 mln ha year ago
--India rabi mustard acreage 8.9 mln ha so far vs 9.4 mln ha year ago
--India rabi groundnut acreage 365,000 ha so far vs 342,000 ha year ago
--India rabi maize acreage 2.3 mln ha so far vs 2.1 mln ha year ago
--India rabi barley acreage 662,000 ha so far vs 671,000 ha year ago
MUMBAI – Farmers in India have sown rabi crops over 64.0 million hectares as of Monday, 0.4% up from a year ago, according to data from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. The current rabi acreage is 0.7% higher than the normal area of 63.35 million hectares for the season.
The area under the largest rabi crop, wheat, is 1.4% higher on year at 32.0 million hectares, the data showed. The current wheat acreage has also exceeded the normal area for the season, which is 31.23 million hectares. The area under rabi paddy was up 0.2% on year at 2.62 million hectares. The acreage under maize rose nearly 7.4% on year to 2.29 million hectares.
The increased sowing of rabi crops is mainly because of the above-normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon, leading to higher moisture content in the soil. The country received 8?ove normal rainfall at 934.8 mm during the southwest monsoon season, according to the India Meteorological Department.
In the northeast monsoon, in the period from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, India received 117.4 mm rainfall, 3?low the normal of 121.0 mm, according to the agency. Since Jan. 1, the country has received 4.1 mm rainfall, 60?low the normal of 10.2 mm for the period.
The area under pulses was 14.2 million hectares, up 1.7% from 13.91 million hectares a year ago, the data showed. Under pulses, the acreage of chana was 9.8 million hectares, up 2.5% from the area sown in the previous year. Chana is the main legume grown during the rabi season. Masur acreage was down nearly 2% at 1.74 million hectares.
Chana acreage is likely to rebound to its normal of 10 million hectares from the fall seen last year, though the yield will depend on the weather in January and February, G. Chandrashekhar, an agri-business expert, said. "However, while chana sowing may reach the normal acreage, it may not go beyond (the normal) as some farmers have shifted to wheat production, especially in states such as Madhya Pradesh, where both chana and wheat are major crops," Chandrashekhar said.
The area under oilseeds was down 4.1% on year at 9.8 million hectares. Mustard acreage was 8.9 million hectares, down nearly 5% from a year ago. The area under groundnut was up 6.7% at 365,000 hectares while the area under sunflower was up 72.1% at 74,000 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 Monday:
| Crop | Acreage 2024-25 (ha) | Acreage 2023-24 (ha) | Change(%) | Normal area for season (ha) |
| Wheat | 32,000,000 | 31,563,000 | 1.4 | 31,235,000 |
| Rice | 2,620,000 | 2,614,000 | 0.2 | 4,202,000 |
| Pulses | 14,169,000 | 13,929,000 | 1.7 | 14,044,000 |
| Chana | 9,828,000 | 9,587,000 | 2.5 | 10,099,000 |
| Masur | 1,743,000 | 1,776,000 | (-)2 | 1,513,000 |
| Urad | 512,000 | 512,000 | 0 | 615,000 |
| Other pulses | 445,000 | 404,000 | 10.1 | 546,000 |
| Coarse cereals | 5,449,000 | 5,463,000 | (-)0.3 | 5,346,000 |
| Jowar | 2,395,000 | 2,576,000 | (-)7.0 | 2,437,000 |
| Maize | 2,290,000 | 2,132,000 | 7.4 | 2,211,000 |
| Total oilseeds | 9,762,000 | 10,180,000 | (-)4.1 | 8,702,000 |
| Mustard | 8,930,000 | 9,373,000 | (-)5 | 7,916,000 |
| Groundnut | 365,000 | 342,000 | 6.7 | 382,000 |
| Sunflower | 74,000 | 43,000 | 72.1 | 81,000 |
| Other oilseeds | 35,000 | 29,000 | 20.7 | -- |
| Total* | 64,000,000 | 63,749,000 | 0.4 | 63,530,000 |
End
Reported by J. Navya Sruthi and Taniva Singha Roy
Edited by Rajeev Pai
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