Crop Report
India kharif sowing up 4% on year as of Fri; oilseed area drops
This story was originally published at 19:54 IST on 18 August 2025
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--India kharif acreage 104.0 mln ha as of Fri vs 100.2 mln ha year ago
--India kharif paddy acreage 39.9 mln ha as of Fri vs 36.3 mln ha year ago
--India kharif pulses acreage 11.0 mln ha as of Fri vs 10.8 mln ha year ago
--India kharif tur acreage 4.2 mln ha as of Fri vs 4.4 mln ha year ago
--India kharif urad acreage 2.1 mln ha as of Fri vs 2.0 mln ha year ago
--India kharif moong acreage 3.4 mln ha as of Fri vs 3.3 mln ha year ago
--India kharif oilseeds area 17.9 mln ha as of Fri vs 18.5 mln ha year ago
--India kharif soybean acreage 12.0 mln ha as of Fri vs 12.5 mln ha year ago
--India kharif groundnut acreage 4.4 mln ha as of Fri vs 4.6 mln ha year ago
--India kharif coarse cereals area 18.2 mln ha as of Fri vs 17.3 mln yr ago
--India kharif maize acreage 9.3 mln ha as of Fri vs 8.3 mln ha year ago
--India kharif jowar acreage 1.37 mln ha as of Fri vs 1.40 mln ha year ago
--India kharif bajra acreage 6.6 mln ha as of Fri, unch from year ago
--India kharif sugarcane acreage 5.7 mln ha as of Fri vs 5.6 mln ha yr ago
--India kharif cotton acreage 10.8 mln ha as of Fri vs 11.1 mln ha year ago
MUMBAI – Farmers across the country have sown kharif crops on nearly 104.0 million hectares as of Friday, up 4% on year, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The area under coarse cereals, paddy, and pulses rose from the year-ago period, while oilseeds and cotton acreage fell as farmers shifted to other crops.
Paddy acreage rose nearly 10% on year to 39.9 million hectares, supported by an early onset and good progress of the southwest monsoon. The area under pulses rose over 1% on year to 11 million hectares as of Friday. The area under tur declined over 3% on year, while moong and urad acreage rose nearly 3% on year and 5% on year, respectively.
The acreage of coarse cereals, promoted as 'Shri Anna' by the government, was up over 5% on year at 18.2 million hectares, mainly supported by a rise in the area under maize. The area under maize rose to 9.3 million hectares from 8.3 million hectares a year ago.
However, oilseed acreage dipped nearly 4% on year to 17.9 million hectares from 18.5 million hectares a year ago. The area under soybean, the largest kharif oilseed, dipped to 12 million hectares from 12.5 million hectares. Groundnut acreage fell to 4.4 million hectares from 4.6 million hectares.
India has been pushing oilseed cultivation to reduce import dependency to meet cooking oil requirements. Soybean acreage fell amid continuous rains during the sowing window and due to a shift to other crops, Soybean Processors Association of India had said earlier in a release. Farmers shifted from soybean to other crops due to two consecutive years of low market prices for soybean, market participants said.
Similarly, the area under cotton fell nearly 3% on year to 10.8 million hectares. Industry experts said cotton farmers in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have shifted to maize amid better returns. The area under sugarcane rose nearly 3% on year to 5.7 million hectares.
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 2025 (ha) |
Acreage 2024 (ha) |
Change (%) |
| Paddy | 39,859,000 | 36,292,000 |
10 |
| Tur | 4,220,000 | 4,354,000 |
(-)3 |
| Urad | 2,082,000 | 1,990,000 |
5 |
| Moong | 3,370,000 | 3,276,000 |
3 |
| Total Pulses* | 10,952,000 | 10,839,000 |
1 |
| Jowar | 1,374,000 | 1,396,00 |
(-)2 |
| Bajra | 6,567,000 | 6,588,000 |
(-)0.3 |
| Ragi | 589,000 | 630,000 |
(-)6 |
| Maize | 9,279,000 | 8,297,000 |
12 |
| Total Coarse Cereals* | 18,234,000 | 17,322,000 |
5 |
| Groundnut | 4,398,000 | 4,607,000 |
(-)5 |
| Soybean | 11,982,000 | 12,459,000 |
(-)4 |
| Sunflower | 61,000 | 68,000 |
(-)11 |
| Total Oilseeds* | 17,864,000 | 18,538,000 |
(-)4 |
| Sugarcane | 5,731,000 | 5,568,000 |
3 |
| Jute | 533,000 | 550,000 |
(-)3 |
| Cotton | 10,787,000 | 11,111,000 |
(-)3 |
| Grand Total* | 103,981,000 | 100,241,000 |
4 |
* Figures may not tally exactly with subtotals and total as crops with low acreage have not been included.
End
Reported by J. Navya Sruthi
Edited by Avishek Dutta
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